Frequently Asked Questions

Road maps are available at the Public Works Department Office, 1428 S. Main St., Suite 5, Ottawa, Kansas. The map is 24” square and the costs $2.00 each. The maps are available in other sizes at the Appraisers Office, County Courthouse, 315 S. Main St., Ottawa, Kansas. Please contact the Appraisers Office for other sizes available and the cost.

Ownership maps are available at the County Appraisers Office, County Courthouse, 315 S. Main St., Ottawa, Kansas. Please contact the County Appraisers Office for the sizes available and the cost.

If the existing pipe or tube is too small to handle normal rainfall amounts then you should contact the Public Works Department at (785) 229-3550. We will study the location and make a determination as to the best manner to proceed.

If the width of your entrance is too narrow because you have changed the type or size of vehicle/s you are using, then you would be responsible for the upgrade (widening) of the entrance. Applications for the upgrade are available at the Public Works Department Office, 1428 S. Main St. Suite 5, Ottawa, Kansas (or you can download the form in .pdf format by clicking on Entrance Requirements). If you have any questions, please contact the Public Works Department at (785) 229-3550.

Applications for the installation of new entrances are available at the Public Works Department Office, 1428 S. Main St. Suite #5, Ottawa, Kansas (or you can download the form in .pdf format by clicking on Entrance Requirements). If you have any questions, please contact the Public Works Department at (785) 229-3550.

Entrances must be constructed to proper standards and specifications for reasons primarily related to traffic safety. The standards and specifications are contained within the Entrance Construction Application available at the Public Works Department Office, 1428 S. Main St. Suite #5, Ottawa, Kansas (or you can download the application in .pdf format by clicking on Entrance Requirements). If you have any questions, please contact the Public Works Department at (785) 229-3550.

Roads are vacated by a legislative act by the Board of County Commissioners. The process to vacate a road is authorized by K.S.A. 68-102 et seq. A hearing before the County Commissioners is required prior to action. Various public notices of the hearing/s are required. While it is possible for the Board of County Commissioners to vacate a road on their own initiative, they are typically reluctant to do so without a petition. Petitions to vacate a road may be submitted to the Public Works Department Office, 1428 S. Main St. Suite #5, Ottawa, Kansas. If you have any questions, please contact the Public Works Department at (785) 229-3550.

Permission to place a gate on a rural public road may only be granted by the Board of County Commissioners in locations that are typically agricultural in nature and not subject to routine traffic. Requests can be made to the Public Works Department Office, 1428 S. Main St., Suite #5, Ottawa, Kansas.

Roads and bridges are rarely closed to traffic except in cases of major construction. If you have a question about a specific road or bridge you may contact the Public Works Department Office at (785) 229-3550 or by visiting the “Current Projects” link at www.franklincoks.org/countydepartments/publicworks.

A “minimum maintenance” road is a road that receives little or no routine maintenance and has been officially designated as such by the Franklin County Board of County Commissioners. Kansas law (K.S.A. 68-5, 102) allows for certain roads to be designated as “minimum maintenance” for various reasons. Generally, roads that have been so designated have very low traffic. Designating a road as “minimum maintenance” reduces the tort liability associated with failure to maintain a roadway to normal standards.

The process to designate a road from “minimum maintenance” to “full maintenance” involves a hearing before the Board of County Commissioners. Requests to designate a road as “full maintenance” can be made to the Public Works Department Office, 1428 S. Main St., Suite #5, Ottawa Kansas. If you have any questions, please contact the Public Works Department at (785) 229-3550.

Each late winter, with the approval of the Board of County Commissioners, the Public Works Department has an enrollment period for residents wishing to purchase a “dust palliative” treatment for the road fronting their property. This is a user-fee program, so the property owner pays up front for the estimated cost of applying the dust palliative material. In addition, the user-fee also pays for the road to be prepared for the dust palliative, the application of the dust palliative. The dust palliative is typically applied in late spring. The most common dust palliative products are calcium chloride and magnesium chloride. Both products consist of a “brine solution” found naturally in various regions of the U.S.A. The products have been found to control dust by attracting moisture from the atmosphere causing dust to “clump” together. This aids in dust control in two ways. First, the road surface tends to form a hard crust that does not have loose dust particles. Secondly, larger and heavier dust particles do not float about as much. Franklin County does not guarantee the results of the product. We simply provide an enrollment service to allow the collective purchase of the product in a large enough quantity to achieve an economical solution. Once the enrollment period has closed, then departmental staff reviews each location to determine if it has been marked properly. The quantity of dust palliative required to cover the locations is then calculated and a bid process is initiated. Once the bid has been awarded, large tank trucks are used to apply the product to the locations throughout the County. Please note that the road must be properly graded by the Public Works Department prior to application of the dust palliative. In addition, occasional grading may be required should hazardous potholes develop within the treatment segment of the road. Degradation of the dust-controlling properties of the dust palliative may occur. If you have any questions, please contact the Public Works Department at (785) 229-3550.

Various roads have different width of right-of-way depending on several factors. Some have widths that were determined arbitrarily by statute based on the year they were created. Other roads have variable right-of-way widths depending on the terrain in which they are located. Roads built to modern standards generally fall into this category. To find out the road right-of-way width of your road you can contact the Public Works Department at (785) 229-3550.

If the immediate safety of traffic is at risk due to a missing traffic control sign, (i.e. a STOP sign) then you should contact the appropriate law enforcement agency by dialing 911. Other rural sign problems concerning down or damaged signs should be reported to the Public Works Department by calling (785) 229-3550.

There are several agencies located within Franklin County with rural roadway maintenance responsibilities. State and Federal Highways are maintained by the Kansas Department of Transportation. Other major and local rural routes are maintained by the Franklin County Public Works Department. If you have any questions, please contact the Public Works Department at (785) 229-3550.