Existing rights of way and adjacent private property ownership are developed early in the life of a project. Recent design surveys and historical acquisition records are utilized to depict these features as a base for project plan development.
Determination of proposed rights of way and easement needs are generally driven by engineering considerations in the Bureau of Design. Once the proposed rights of way and easements are depicted on the plans, they are reviewed by the Bureau of Right of Way, Engineering Section staff for conformity with accepted practices and sufficiency to construct and maintain the highway segment for which the right of way is being acquired. It is at this point of project development that adjacent properties affected by proposed rights of way and/or easements are identified and Certificates of Title are ordered for current and accurate discovery of property ownership.
Legal descriptions of the real property necessary for construction and maintenance of the highway improvement project are written within the Engineering Section and base maps as well as individual tract graphic exhibits are prepared depicting the limits of existing and proposed rights of way and easements.
Facility Properties
Expansion to facility sites are handled in much the same manner as highway improvement projects except that location and area considerations are driven by the needs and recommendations of the Division of Operations rather than the Bureau of Design.
Disposal
Disposal of unneeded rights of way, easements, and/or other real property are administered through the Right of Way Inventory and Disposal Section of the Bureau of Right of Way. The legal description preparation aspect of real property disposal is supervised by the Engineering Section.
Archives and Research
All KDOT land records are archived and maintained by the Engineering Section of the Bureau of Right of Way. These records include, but are not limited to, highway improvement project plan files; right of way strip maps; tract files that include copies of the instrument of conveyance (deeds, district court proceedings, etc.); coordinate geometry point lists; etc.
Research Requests
Nearly all of the above noted archived records are available to the public upon request. In fact, the Bureau of Right of Way's Engineering Section processes research requests on a daily basis. Please visit our research request page for additional details.
For further information please contact:
Polly Jones
Coordinating Land Specialist
KDOT#ROW.ENG@ks.gov
Office: 785-296-6941
Toll Free: 1-877-461-6817
Kansas Department of Transportation
Bureau of Right of Way
Eisenhower State Office Building - 14th Floor
700 SW Harrison St
Topeka, KS 66603-3745
785-296-3501
Toll Free: 1-877-461-6817
Hearing Impaired: 711
Chad.M.Depperschmidt@ks.gov
