As crews rebuild U.S. 169 south of Iola, a pair of testing grounds will determine if added protections can help the new highway withstand water damage.
According to Priscilla Peterson, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Transportation, water penetration is a key factor in how quickly highways deteriorate.
With that in mind, KDOT has authorized a pair of 1,000-foot-long test sections of wicking geotextile fabric.
