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On the road again: U.S. 77 to reopen after lengthy detour years ago

By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

The good news has come at last. U.S.-77 between U.S.-56/K-150 junction and U.S.-50 at Florence is scheduled to open Aug. 1, weather permitting.

Kansas Department of Transportation released the news Monday. KDOT anticipated the road opening July 21, but delays in posting signsng, striping the highway, and seeding the right-of-way delayed completion of the project.

For local people traveling between Florence and Marion, the 15-month closure was a hassle.

Julie Brosemer lives in Florence and operates a business in Marion. She echoed what many other business people in both towns experienced.

"After the highway closed in May 2005, I felt an immediate drop in my business," she said. "It's been a hardship for me. If Florence people had to drive 17 miles to Marion, they could almost as easily go 24 miles to Newton or 27 to El Dorado."

Traditional Cedar Point customers also went somewhere else, she said.

Brosemer said she had a newer car, so she didn't want to drive on rock roads. It took her twice as long as usual to get to work.

"I used to run home when I needed to, and could go home and back in 30 minutes," she said. "Now I can't. I've enjoyed the scenery along Sunflower Road, but I'll be glad when the highway is open. I'll never complain again."

Dan Ludwig of Ludwig Trucking in Florence said the construction meant an extra five miles every trip north.

"It's been a pain in the you-know-what," he said. "The local detours were dangerous and uneven."

He noted the closure also affected people going to Florence to eat.

Fortunately, local truckers were allowed to use Sunflower Road and not the much longer detours required by those coming from outside the area.

(Eric, can you write a closing paragraph? Thank you.)

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