The completion of the $135.7 million K-18 corridor improvement project is in sight.

Mike King, Secretary of KDOT along with local officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday morning in Manhattan.

The project was split into three phases starting in 2010 with a two mile stretch of K-18 between Fort Riley and Manhattan. Phase two cost approximately $80.3 million and was completed in late 2012.

Phases two and three began in July 2011 and includes the reconstruction of a K-18 beginning just east of Miller Parkway/Davis Drive in Manhattan, west to Wildcat Creek Road. The two phases cost a combined $55.4 million and is expected to be completely finished by Christmas.

The project improved multiple things including the safety of the motorists traveling the highway.

King called the project a huge accomplishment and needed,”As Manhattan has grown, as Kansas State has grown, with NBAF coming up here now, with the improvements were making to the airport with the viability of it, were now able to get safely people to the areas of the state that is rapidly growing.”

Florence Whitebread, Geary County Commissioner commented that the highway is so much safer, even for the Sunday driver,”It’s a great highway now to take and you feel much safer.”

Whitebread said that she remembers before the project hearing remarks such as,” I need to go to Manhattan but I really dread driving 18 because of the dangers.” With the new four lane freeway Whitebread said that the dangers have been eliminated.

Work continues on the Miller Parkway/Davis Drive interchange on the west side of Manhattan but King said that they hope to have the entire project complete and open to traffic by Christmas.