AASHTO Journal - Kansas Investing $932M in 17 New Highway Projects

Governor Laura Kelly (D) and the Kansas Department of Transportation recently added 17 highway projects – worth a total of $932 million – to the state’s Eisenhower Legacy Transportation or IKE program’s development pipeline.

[Above image by Kansas DOT]

The addition of those projects to the IKE program – the state’s bipartisan $10 billion decade-long transportation infrastructure program – clears the way for preliminary engineering work to begin on them, noted Gov. Kelly in a statement.

“These highway projects tackle long-standing transportation needs across the state – improving safety, expanding economic development opportunities, and strengthening our communities,” she said. “My administration is committed to making short- and long-term infrastructure improvements to benefit future generations of Kansans.”

Kansas DOT Secretary Calvin Reed said input from state residents helped determine which highways projects were of the highest priority to rural and urban communities, with the selection process made “flexible” to meet economic needs of various regions.

“The projects being moved into the IKE development pipeline represent a mix of local and regional highway improvement priorities as identified by stakeholders and based on data,” he added. “We appreciate how the Local Consult process gives Kansas DOT an opportunity to strengthen local partnerships, better understand which [of our] programs matter most to communities, and get feedback on how we can improve [project] delivery.”

Concurrently, Kansas also recently selected 58 projects at 37 airports to receive $14.3 million through the Kansas Airport Improvement Program or KAIP, also overseen by the Kansas DOT.

“Improvements made to our aviation infrastructure are vital to local economies, even in rural parts of Kansas,” Gov. Kelly said in a separate statement. “These enhancements ensure that no matter where they are in the state, businesses and communities have every opportunity to grow and prosper.”

Kansas DOT Secretary Reed noted that this group of airport projects is largely focused on pavement preservation, safety, and air ambulance accessibility. “These general aviation airport improvements couldn’t happen without local partners and Kansas DOT working together,” Reed added. “Programs like this help Kansans have access to renewed and reliable transportation options available to them in every region of the state.”