On Friday, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced the state would spend nearly $6 million on road and street safety.
Part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, the money will provide six Kansas communities with money from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Program. Officials said the money will be combined with more than $1 million in matching funds from the Kansas Infrastructure Hub and Build Kansas Fund, bringing the total investment to more than $6.2 million.
“Leveraging federal dollars to supplement our state and local investments into critical infrastructure is vital to economic growth,” Kelly said. “The Safe Streets and Roads for All program ensures that our communities have the resources to build, operate, or maintain critical infrastructure. I appreciate the Legislature’s continued support of this initiative as it is a true bipartisan win for Kansas.”
Topeka, Kans., was awarded $4.3 million in federal funds, the largest award in the country. Another $1 million will come from Build Kansas Funding. In all nearly $5.4 million will go toward the city’s Vision Zero: Focusing On Our Future First project, which focuses on building safer streets. Other cities receiving funds were Nortonville ($100,000 for its Comprehensive Safety Action Plan and Supplemental Planning Activities), Augusta ($200,000 for a Transportation Safety Action Plan), Great Bend ($200,000 for a Transportation Action Safety Plan), Towanda ($175,000 for a Transportation Safety Action Plan) and South Hutchinson ($175,000 for a Transportation Safety Action Plan).
“The City of Topeka is very pleased to receive the grant award for the Vision Zero: Focusing On Our Future First project,” Alleigh Weems, City of Topeka Public Works management analyst, said. “This funding will allow us to take a regional approach to prioritizing safety in school zones and protecting our future leaders.”