On Thursday, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly joined Calvin Reed, Kansas Transportation Secretary, to announce that 35 bridge projects across the state would receive more than $42 million.
The funding, part of the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), will combine with matching funds from the cities and counties the bridges are in address nearly $50 million in repairs. By taking advantage of the BIL, officials said, the Kansas Department of Transportation would be able to more than double its annual funding as part of the existing Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE).
“A stronger transportation system and safer bridges keep our communities and economy moving,” Kelly said. “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. 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.”
The funding announcements include a $7 million award that will join a $2 million match from Dodge City for the construction of a northbound bridge on 14th Avenue over the Arkansas River.
“We welcome opportunities to partner with Kansas cities and counties to replace or rehabilitate deteriorating bridges,” Reed said. “The needs are high, and these programs allow KDOT to assist communities move projects forward that support the transportation needs of Kansans.”
Additionally, the Kansas Department of Transportation will award $20.5 million as part of its Off-System Bridge program to fund 20 projects across the state, while the Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program (KLBIP) awarded $21.8 million to fund 15 projects that will replace 16 deficient bridges and remove another 12. Those programs target city and county bridges no on the state highway system that are in need of replacement or repair, and funds for the programs are awarded through an application process. For this cycle, KDOT received 176 applications requesting $162.4 million.
Those awards included $750,000 to Doniphan County to replace a bridge on RS 2128, and $1,175,000 for Osage County to replace a bridge on RS 1471.