AASHTO Journal - Kansas Providing $42.3M to 35 Local Bridge Projects

The Kansas Department of Transportation recently provided 35 local and off-system bridge projects statewide with a combined total of $42.3 million from two programs that capitalize on new funding from the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA enacted in 2021.

[Above photo by the Kansas DOT]

Combined with matching funds from local cities and counties, the total investment in those bridge projects reaches nearly $48.8 million.

The Kansas DOT’s Off-System Bridge or OSB program provided $20.5 million in fiscal year 2025 funds to 20 projects statewide, while the agency’s Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program or KLBIP provided $21.8 million in FY 2024 funds to 15 projects, with 16 deficient bridges to be replaced and an additional 12 to be permanently removed from local systems.

At a local bridge funding event in 2022, Governor Laura Kelly (D) noted that those two programs have received a $137.5 million boost over the next five years from the IIJA.

Kansas DOT added that the OSB and KLBIP are targeted for city and county bridges not on the state highway system and in need of replacement or repair. Funds for both programs are awarded through an application process and, in most cases, require a local contribution. The agency said it uses selection criteria that include bridge condition, detour length, inability to carry legal loads, and past project history.

“A stronger transportation system and safer bridges keep our communities and economy moving,” noted Gov. Kelly in a statement.

“There are more than 19,000 bridges on local road systems across Kansas, all of which are essential to getting people and goods where they need to go,” she said. “Yet almost 5,000 of those bridges simply cannot meet our state’s needs in a modern world, which is why these investments are critical for making our state a better place to live and work.”

By reshaping the local bridge programs to take advantage IIJA, Kansas DOT said it more than doubled its annual funding as part of the existing 10-year Eisenhower Legacy Transportation or IKE program established in 2019.

“We welcome opportunities to partner with Kansas cities and counties to replace or rehabilitate deteriorating bridges,” said Kansas DOT Secretary Calvin Reed. “The needs are high, and these programs allow Kansas DOT to assist communities move projects forward that support the transportation needs of Kansans.”