Leavenworth County commissioners last week threw their support behind construction of a “supporting road system” for a new interchange in Leavenworth County along the Kansas Turnpike.

Now, commissioners must wait for April 5 — the day county voters determine whether to extend the county’s one-cent sales tax. The sales tax, which was enacted to finance construction of the Justice Center in Leavenworth, will expire at the end of 2006, unless voters agree to another 10-year term. The sales tax also has finance projects in cities throughout the county.

At the top of commissioners’ list of how to spend future sales tax revenue is construction of roads leading to a turnpike interchange that likely would be built somewhere south of Tonganoxie.

Last week, county commissioners outlined four other priorities for spending county sales tax funds if voters renew the tax in April:

• Improvement of the arterial road and bridge system between the cities of Leavenworth and Tonganoxie.
• Improvement of County Road 8 from K-7/U.S.-73 west to County Road 5.
• Support of an enhanced communication system for local emergency responders.
• Additional road improvement projects as may be identified.

County commissioners met last week with turnpike officials, who said they would require the county to build a highway between U.S. Highway 24-40 and Kansas Highway 32 to link into the proposed interchange.

The route, if County Road 1 is used, would be 5.8 miles, according to Dean Oroke, county commissioner from Tonganoxie.

If county voters approve the sales tax extension, he said, the county would begin receiving revenue in 2007 that could help finance the road.