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Lieutenant Governor Mark Parkinson and Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Deb Miller today announced Friday new transportation projects designed to help create jobs, improve safety and encourage economic growth in Kansas.
“We know that building roads creates jobs. So it’s good news that Kansas will receive nearly $380 million from the stimulus bill targeted for transportation projects,” Parkinson said. “While the stimulus bill is not a long-term solution to our state’s budget problems, it can spur long-term growth by putting Kansans back to work. These are important projects that will soon create thousands of jobs, enhance safety and sustain long-term economic growth.”
“We picked projects that will create jobs and have a major impact on our state’s economy,” said Miller. “These are game-changers that couldn’t have been built in the
foreseeable future without this one-time stimulus funding. These projects support the state’s economic goals and will continue to do so for decades.”
Based on estimates from the Federal Highway Administration, Kansas stands to gain more than 10,000 jobs from these projects.
The major projects identified by the Department of Transportation include:
• $91 million for US-69 in Overland Park for the corridor from I-35 to 103rd Street to address congestion issues and support economic development.
• $23 million for I-135/ 47th Street in Wichita for the reconstruction and upgrade of the interchange to remove the bottleneck and to provide a link to an underutilized area.
• $11 million for K-23 in Gove County to enhance safety on 16 miles of a narrow, 50-year-old road that lacks shoulders and has steep side slopes, which creates a hazard for trucks hauling agricultural commodities and implements.
• $88 million for K-61 in McPherson County to expand a 15-mile corridor from two-lanes to four. This will enhance safety and provide a critical link to the interstate system in south-central Kansas. This will also complete the final major Comprehensive Transportation Program commitment, for which funding fell short as a result of the economic downturn.
Additional projects and efforts identified by KDOT include:
• Beginning the initial phase of expanding K-18 between Fort Riley and Manhattan to four lanes.
• The Kansas City area will receive $22 million for city road projects to be selected by the Mid-America Regional Council
• The Wichita area will receive $16 million for city road projects to be selected by the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.
KDOT will receive $10 million for Transportation Enhancement projects such as bicycle/pedestrian trails and depot restoration. The department also will receive nearly $16 million for urban transit projects, determined by federal formula to include
• Wichita will receive an estimated $6.6 million
• Johnson County, $2.8 million
• Topeka, $2.5 million
• Unified Government of Wyandotte County, $1.95 million
• Lawrence, $1.93 million
• St. Joseph (Kansas side of the area), $16,000.
KDOT will receive nearly $14 million for rural transit projects, to be determined, will also apply for millions of dollars in competitive funding for other transportation projects and airport improvements in Kansas and has created a pool of $32 million for cities and county projects outside of the Kansas City and Wichita areas.
Lieutenant Governor Mark Parkinson and Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Deb Miller today announced Friday new transportation projects designed to help create jobs, improve safety and encourage economic growth in Kansas.
“We know that building roads creates jobs. So it’s good news that Kansas will receive nearly $380 million from the stimulus bill targeted for transportation projects,” Parkinson said. “While the stimulus bill is not a long-term solution to our state’s budget problems, it can spur long-term growth by putting Kansans back to work. These are important projects that will soon create thousands of jobs, enhance safety and sustain long-term economic growth.”
“We picked projects that will create jobs and have a major impact on our state’s economy,” said Miller. “These are game-changers that couldn’t have been built in the
foreseeable future without this one-time stimulus funding. These projects support the state’s economic goals and will continue to do so for decades.”
Based on estimates from the Federal Highway Administration, Kansas stands to gain more than 10,000 jobs from these projects.
The major projects identified by the Department of Transportation include:
• $91 million for US-69 in Overland Park for the corridor from I-35 to 103rd Street to address congestion issues and support economic development.
• $23 million for I-135/ 47th Street in Wichita for the reconstruction and upgrade of the interchange to remove the bottleneck and to provide a link to an underutilized area.
• $11 million for K-23 in Gove County to enhance safety on 16 miles of a narrow, 50-year-old road that lacks shoulders and has steep side slopes, which creates a hazard for trucks hauling agricultural commodities and implements.
• $88 million for K-61 in McPherson County to expand a 15-mile corridor from two-lanes to four. This will enhance safety and provide a critical link to the interstate system in south-central Kansas. This will also complete the final major Comprehensive Transportation Program commitment, for which funding fell short as a result of the economic downturn.
Additional projects and efforts identified by KDOT include:
• Beginning the initial phase of expanding K-18 between Fort Riley and Manhattan to four lanes.
• The Kansas City area will receive $22 million for city road projects to be selected by the Mid-America Regional Council
• The Wichita area will receive $16 million for city road projects to be selected by the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.
KDOT will receive $10 million for Transportation Enhancement projects such as bicycle/pedestrian trails and depot restoration. The department also will receive nearly $16 million for urban transit projects, determined by federal formula to include
• Wichita will receive an estimated $6.6 million
• Johnson County, $2.8 million
• Topeka, $2.5 million
• Unified Government of Wyandotte County, $1.95 million
• Lawrence, $1.93 million
• St. Joseph (Kansas side of the area), $16,000.
KDOT will receive nearly $14 million for rural transit projects, to be determined, will also apply for millions of dollars in competitive funding for other transportation projects and airport improvements in Kansas and has created a pool of $32 million for cities and county projects outside of the Kansas City and Wichita areas.
