Kansas DOT Awards 24 Projects Through Cost Share Program
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Officials in Kansas recently announced 24 projects have been selected as part of the state Department of Transportation’s Cost Share Program, a popular initiative designed to provide funding for transportation projects.
KDOT announced July 9 that the 24 projects represent nearly $20 million in transportation investments statewide. The Cost Share Program is meant to rely on funding from various levels of government and private sector groups.
The program provides funds to local groups for transportation projects that improve safety, support job growth, improve mobility and relieve congestion.
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Yesterday @GovLauraKelly and Julie Lorenz joined city officials from Newton and Eudora to announce the next round of communities who received the Cost Share Awards. KDOT is committed to being a strong partner with communities. Watch the video here https://t.co/M9MaUSCKbI pic.twitter.com/j1NKjlqzEV — KDOT (@KDOTHQ) July 10, 2020
“Projects like infrastructure cost share are a perfect example of how government can make smart, economic innovations that will make our economy more dynamic and competitive,” Gov. Laura Kelly said.
Selected projects include road improvements in Logan County, which lies in the western part of the state, and three bridge replacements in Kingman County, located immediately west of Wichita. Another project involves reconstructing the runway at Garnett Municipal Airport, which is 73 miles southwest of Kansas City.
Lorenz
Officials selected projects in all six of Kansas’ transportation districts. According to a notice from Kelly’s office, construction on some projects will begin as soon as this fall.
“Our economic recovery won’t wait on the red tape. KDOT is committed to doing all we can to cut through it to provide timely transportation investments,” said Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz. “We can expedite the delivery of projects and still be collaborative with our local partners.”
The number of interested participants in the Cost Share Program suggests high demand for transportation projects across the state. KDOT received requests for funding for 136 projects totaling $228 million for this round of awards.
President Dwight Eisenhower in December 1958 by Bill Allen/AP/File Photo.
The selected projects are part of KDOT’s Eisenhower Transportation Legacy Program, known as IKE. Created in March, IKE is a 10-year program under which highway modernization and expansion projects are selected on a rolling basis every two years as a way to address pressing needs and adjust to fluctuating revenues. (President Dwight Eisenhower, the program’s namesake, was raised in Abilene, Kan.)
The Cost Share Program requires a minimum 15% nonstate cash match, although additional consideration is given to applications that commit more than the minimum match amount. Potential projects are selected based on how they meet program objectives and eligibility requirements. Geographic distribution also is considered.
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“The value of the Cost Share Program is not only that the state and communities can work together to stretch their dollars, but also to craft solutions that best serve the community,” Sen. Carolyn McGinn (R-Sedgwick) said.
Kelly, who was elected governor in November 2018, has authorized $216 million in sales tax revenue to remain in the state highway fund in fiscal 2020. This funding helped make the Cost Share Program possible.
Through the highway fund, KDOT was able to reinstate the Local Bridge Improvement Program in August. The initiative, which is meant to help replace and rehabilitate structurally deficient bridges, had been dropped because of budget cuts over the past few years.
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