CDL Driving Range to Open Near Intermodal Facility in Kansas

Ground was broken in February for the facility that will open this year. (Johnson County Community College via Facebook)

[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]

Kansas officials and community college educators recently broke ground on a $6.9 million commercial driver license driving range in the northeastern part of the state that will have five test pads to train drivers when it opens this year.

Participating in the ceremony at the new CDL training site in his town, Edgerton Mayor Donald Roberts was joined by leaders from Johnson County Community College (JCCC), which will enhance its CDL training capabilities by adding the driving range.

Expected to open this summer, the new CDL driving range in Edgerton will include several driving pads made of different materials and a classroom building that features a testing and simulation room.

The new facility will be located on 10 acres that includes a 2,810-square-foot instructional building, a parking lot, and five instruction and testing pads. Another benefit of the new facility is that it will enable the community college’s CDL program to have a permanent place for dedicated instructional and staff support.

Image

The BNSF Railway intermodal facility at Logistics Park Kansas City is near the driving range site. (BNSF.com)

Last year, 636 students completed CDL training with JCCC Workforce Development & Continuing Education. “With this completed range, we anticipated nearly doubling the number of students JCCC will be able to serve,” according to a JCCC statement.

The trucking industry currently provides almost 70,000 jobs in Kansas. Although Overland Park is the JCCC’s main campus, the driving range site is 191st Street in Edgerton, which sports a nearby BNSF Railway Co. intermodal facility at Logistics Park Kansas City.

Edgerton is located between Interstate 35 and U.S. Route 56. I-35 is a critical freight corridor in the Kansas City region, nearly 40 miles from Edgerton.

Funding for the CDL driving range consisted of a $2.53 million state grant for community and technical colleges, a $2 million private grant, a one-time legislative allocation of $1.88 million to develop training programs to meet emerging needs of Kansas businesses and $538,500 from JCCC CDL program funds.

Currently, the JCCC offers CDL training for Class A and B licenses plus a hazardous materials endorsement and a freight broker/agent training course.

Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing below or go here for more info: