The Kansas Department of Transportation recently issued $8.1 million in federal funds to 11 rural roadway projects via the agency’s High Risk Rural Roads or HRRR program; an initiative aimed at improving the safety and efficiency of rural roads statewide.
[Above photo by Kansas DOT]
The agency added that an additional $1.6 million in local funds will go toward those projects as well.
“Made possible through the IKE Transportation Program, these projects address much needed upgrades of rural roadways,” noted Governor Laura Kelly (D) in a statement. “By improving intersections, signage, and other critical roadway features, we are building momentum for a safer, stronger Kansas.”
“With over 20 percent of fatal and serious injury crashes occurring on county roads, strong partnerships will be necessary to achieve the goal of zero roadway fatalities,” added Kansas DOT Secretary Calvin Reed. “[Our] collaboration with local governments through programs like HRRR benefits our communities and strengthens connections across the state.”
Across the country, state departments of transportation support rural road improvements in a variety of ways.
For example, in September 2024, the Florida Department of Transportation issued more than $122 million to small county governments and rural municipalities via its Small County Outreach Program and the Small County Resurfacing Assistance Program for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
Of that $122 million total, the agency said one-third will go to rural communities impacted by Hurricane Idalia, which struck Florida in 2023, and Hurricane Debby, which affected several East Coast states in August 2024.
Recent studies also indicate more funding is needed to improve America’s rural road network.
In a report compiled by TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based transportation research nonprofit – entitled “Rural Connections: Examining the Safety, Connectivity, Condition, and Funding Needs of America’s Rural Roads & Bridges” – issued in September 2024 indicates roads, highways, rails, and bridges in the nation’s rural areas face a number of “significant challenges,” such as a lack of adequate capacity, high crash rates, and a lack of adequate support for rising freight traffic on many corridors.
The organization noted that analysis conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation and submitted to Congress in July 2024 – officially entitled “Status of the Nation’s Highways, Bridges and Transit Conditions and Performance Report, 25th Edition” – indicated that the U.S. faces a $198 billion backlog in needed repairs and improvements to the nation’s rural roads, highways and bridges.
That includes a $97 billion backlog for rural road and highway rehabilitation, a $53 billion backlog for needed rural bridge rehabilitation, and a $48 billion backlog for needed rural roadway expansions and enhancements, according to USDOT’s numbers.
States
Florida Finishes I-4 Congestion Relief Project Early
April 18, 2025
States
