The Kansas Transportation Department is launching work on new major highway projects for the first time in about six years after the state ran out of money to modernize and expand the state’s road network.
This week, Gov. Laura Kelly and Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz have been crisscrossing the state announcing new highway projects that will be constructed as part of the state’s new $10 billion multiyear transportation program approved last year.
While state lawmakers didn’t raise taxes to fund the program, the money for new construction will largely come from highway revenues that will no longer be shifted to the state’s general fund to cover general operating expenses.
The state has reduced transfers from highways to the state general fund from $223.1 million in fiscal 2019 to $66.9 million in 2022
Overall, the highway fund has retained about $432 million since fiscal year 2020.
A decade ago, the Legislature approved an $8.2 billion plan that ultimately came in closer to $6 billion after money was diverted to other parts of the state budget.
When the last plan was approved, the Transportation Department identified $2 billion in major expansion and modernization projects up front.
The new plan called for identifying projects at the outset and putting them in a pipeline for development work such as engineering, design and right-of-way acquisition.
Gradually, those projects are being scheduled for construction, and more projects will be identified for the development pipeline every two years instead of all at once at the start.
The announcements this week reflect the first major projects that will be constructed under the new multiyear transportation program, not counting 18 projects from the previous program that were not completed because of a revenue shortfall.
Of the 24 projects announced this week, many of them were revealed as state priorities last year when they were placed into the agency’s development pipeline.
Even with this week’s annoucements, there are still 16 projects in the agency’s development pipeline, meaning they still need more engineering work, need environmental clearance or there wasn’t enough money available.
Here is a detailed look at every project announced this week:
U.S. 54 Meade County, between Meade and Fowler
Project: Passing lanes
Distance: 3 miles
Cost: $6 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 54 Meade County, between the Seward-Meade county line and Plains
Project: Passing lanes
Distance: 2 miles
Cost: $4 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 50 Ford County: East of Spearville
Project: Passing lanes
Distance: 2 milles
Cost: $5 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 50 Ford County: East of Wright
Project: Passing lanes
Distance: 2 miles
Cost: $5 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
K-156 Hodgeman County: 4 miles west of Jetmore to Hanston
Project: Rehabilitate and add shoulders
Distance: 15 miles
Cost: $12 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 54 Pratt County: Between Wellsford and Cullison
Project: Extend existing passing lanes
Distance: 2 miles
Cost: $4 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 54 Kiowa County: Between Greensburg and Haviland
Project: Extend existing passing lanes
Distance: 1 mile
Cost: $4 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 54 Kiowa County: Between Ford-Kiowa county line and Mullinville
Project: Passing lanes
Distance: 2 miles
Cost: $6 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 50 Edwards County: Between Offerle and Kinsley
Project: Extend existing passing lanes
Distance: 1 mile
Cost: $4 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
I-235 Sedgwick County: I-235/I-135/K-254 Interchange (North Junction)
Project: Interchange reconstruction
Distance: 7 miles
Cost: $86 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2022
U.S. 50 Harvey County: Northeast of Walton
Project: Extend existing passing lanes
Distance: 1 mile
Cost: $4 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 50 Harvey County: 5 miles east of Burrton
Project: Extend existing passing lanes
Distance: 1 mile
Cost: $2 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 160 Sumner County: I-35 to Sumner-Cowley county line
Project: Rehabilitate and add shoulders
Distance: 9 miles
Cost: $14 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
K-42 Sumner/Sedgwick County: K-2 to Clonmel
Project: Rehabilitate and add shoulders
Distance: 16 miles
Cost: $19 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 50 Harvey/Marion County: West of Peabody
Project: Extend existing passing lanes
Distance: 1 mile
Cost: $4 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 400 Cherokee County: East of Cherokee
Project: Passing lanes
Distance: 2 miles
Cost: $6 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 169 Neosho County: Between K-47 and Earlton
Project: Passing lanes
Distance: 2 miles
Cost: $6 milion
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 169 Neosho County: Between Wilson-Montgomery county line and Thayer
Project: Passing lanes
Distance: Two miles
Cost: $6 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 400 Greenwood County: Between Piedmont and Severy
Project: Passing lanes
Distance: 2 miles
Cost: $6 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
I-70 Shawnee County: MacVicar to Fourth Street (Polk-Quincy)
Project: Six-lane freeway
Distance: 2 miles
Cost: $234 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2024
K-7 Bourbon County: Crawford/Bourbon county line to U.S. 69 Junction
Project: Widen and add shoulders
Distance: 11 miles
Cost: $13 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
K-7 Crawford County: Girard to Crawford/Bourbon county line
Project: Widen and add shoulders
Distance: 11 miles
Cost: $14 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 40 Douglas County: U.S. 40 (Sixth Street)/K-10 interchange at Lawrence
Project: Build diverging diamond interchange
Cost: $12 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2023
U.S. 69 Johnson County: 151st Street north to 103rd Street
Project: Six-lane freeway
Distance: 7 miles
Cost: $300 million
Scheduled construction letting: 2022
Projects remaing in the development pipeline
U.S. 40/K-10 Douglas County: U.S. 40 (Sixth Street) south and east to U.S. 59
Project: 4-lane freeway
Distance: 7 miles
Cost: $130 million
U.S. 40/K-10 Douglas County: I-70 south to U.S. 40 (Sixth Street)
Project: 4-lane freeway, new KTA interchange
Distance: 1 mile
Cost: $73 million
K-92 Leavenworth County: Centennial Bridge
Project: New bridge
Cost: $98 million
K-68 Miami County: US-169, east to west of U.S. 69 west of Louisburg
Project: 4-lane expressway
Distance: 7 miles
Cost: $63 million
U.S. 56/K-96 Barton County: Great Bend to K-156
Project: 4-lane expressway
Distance: 2 miles
Cost: $15 million
K-96 Sedgwick County: Hillside Road to Greenwich Road
Project: 6-lane freeway
Distance: 6 miles
Cost: $225 million
U.S. 50 Gray County: Finney county line to Cimarron
Project: 4-lane expressway
Distance: 18 miles
Cost: $90 million
U.S. 50 Finney County: East of Garden City to Finney-Gray county line
Project: 4-lane freeway
Distance: 4 miles
Cost: $20 million
U.S. 56 Douglas County: US-59 Junction east to Baldwin
Project: Reconstruct and widen shoulders
Distance: 3 miles
Cost: $12 million
K-99 Wabaunsee County: I-70 north 2 miles
Project: Reconstruct and widen shoulders
Distance: 2 miles
Cost: $11 million
I-70 Geary County: K-18 interchange at I-70
Project: Interchange improvements
Cost: $6 million
K-4 Saline County: 2.3 miles east of K-104 to Kipp Road
Project: Reconstruct on offset alignment and improve intersections
Distance: 7 miles
Cost: $20 million
U.S. 281 Osborne County: North U.S. 24/281 Junction to Portis
Project: Reconstruct and widen shoulders
Distance: 4 miles
Cost: $9 million
K-25 Thomas County: from County Rd I north to I-70
Project: Reconstruct and widen shoulders
Distance: 8 miles
Cost: $20 million
K-23 Sheridan County: County Road 70 S north to Hoxie
Project: Reconstruct and widen shoulders
Distance: 6 miles
Cost: $17 million
K-177 Morris County: Four Mile Creek Bridge north to Council Grove
Project: Rehabilitate and add shoulders
Distance: 3.3 miles
Cost: $6 million
