The Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to issue a request for qualifications to hire consultants for a regional transportation study that would analyze how a proposed Kansas Turnpike (KTA) interchange near the city of Auburn would affect Western, Southwestern and Southeastern Shawnee County.

County Public Works Director Kurt Neehaus told commissioners the study will examine traffic impacts, safety, land-use changes and which of several possible interchange locations best serves the public interest. He estimated the work will cost “approximately a half a million dollars” and said Shawnee County would pay about 35 percent of that total.

The county also heard public comments from Auburn officials. Mark Brown, mayor of Auburn, said the interchange could change the shape of southwest Shawnee County and recommended proceeding with the study “for safety and future economic development.” Dorothy Bryan, an Auburn city council member, told commissioners the KTA has offered $9 million toward the project and warned that the county risks losing that commitment if it delays.

Neehaus said the 2020 KTA-funded study considered cost and identified a financially preferred location but did not evaluate local and regional transportation impacts; the county’s study would expand that scope. Neehaus said the county needs the analysis to pursue state or federal funding and to evaluate possible improvements to roads such as Auburn Road and Wanamaker Road.

Commissioners asked whether the study would include recommendations for Auburn Road; Neehaus said it would, including options if traffic volumes grow significantly. He also said the study’s findings would be important for eligibility for certain grants and for coordinating with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and federal representatives.

Commissioner Bill Rippon moved to approve issuing the RFQ; Commissioner Aaron Mays seconded. The motion passed 3-0.

The county will next solicit qualifications from consultants; Neehaus said the study could inform future grant requests and project selection but did not commit to specific future capital projects pending the study’s findings.