For Immediate Release:         
October 6, 2022
          
Contact:         
Cassie Nichols
[email protected]

Governor Laura Kelly Announces $28.5M for 32 Pedestrian and Bike Transportation Projects

~~Projects Benefit 30 Rural and Urban Kansas Communities~~

MANHATTAN – Today at Manhattan Catholic Schools, Governor Laura Kelly announced $28.5 million has been awarded for 32 Transportation Alternatives (TA) program projects across Kansas for Fiscal Year 2023-24.

The competitive grant program, administered by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), provides funding for a variety of projects, including pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure for non-driver access to public transportation, and overall safety and mobility improvements.

“This funding will make it easier for Kansans to get outside and get moving no matter where they live,” Governor Kelly said. “By investing in our infrastructure, we are making our communities safer, stronger, and more attractive for generations to come.”

Since 2019 and as part of the Kelly Administration’s bipartisan Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE), KDOT has awarded $59 million for 91 TA projects to both urban and rural communities. This round of TA fund distribution was larger than previous years due to additional federal funds provided to Kansas as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Manhattan Catholic Schools, the site of today’s announcement, was used by Governor Kelly to bring attention to how TA grants have been used to make it safer for children to travel to and from school. Past grants have built out the City of Manhattan’s Safe Routes to School program, improving crosswalks and new bicycle trails so students at six local schools can travel to class safely. This year’s grant adds to that work.

“Connectivity makes a community, and these projects enhance connections by offering children and adults safe ways to walk or bike to the places they need to go” said Kansas Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz. “Everyone wins with these through collaborative, community-based planning which builds infrastructure to serve current and future generations.”

Funds for the TA program come from the Federal Highway Administration and are currently the primary source of KDOT funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects statewide, including Safe Routes to School. The program also funds transportation projects of a historical nature and scenic and environmental projects, including Main Street beautification projects.

For this grant round, KDOT received nearly 50 applications, totaling more than $83 million in federal funds. The TA program requires a 20% local match. Project recipients selected for this round provided a local match of more than $7 million.

The 32 Kansas TA projects selected to receive an award are:

Project Sponsor	County	Project Title	TA Award
Atchison - City of	Atchison	Atchison Middle School Safe Routes to School Stage 2 - Santa Fe West Sidewalks	$695,492
Augusta - City of	Butler	Redbud Trail - Connection to Augusta	$3,286,974
Baldwin City - City of	Douglas	Maple Leaf Trail - Phase 2	$670,000
Belle Plaine - City of	Sumner	Pedestrian Crossing Safety	$338,155
Columbus - City of	Cherokee	Safe Routes to School - Phase 2	$307,200
Council Grove - City of	Morris	Safe Routes to School - Priority 1 Improvements	$855,800
De Soto - City of	Johnson	De Soto Recreation Trails - Priority 1	$776,486
Dodge City - City of	Ford	Comanche Trail Bike/Pedestrian Trail	$872,776
Dodge City - City of	Ford	South Dodge Walking Trail	$1,697,854
Ellinwood - City of	Barton	Ellinwood - Downtown Pedestrian Access and Streetscape Improvements	$1,053,265
Emporia - City of	Lyon	Sidewalk System Improvement Project	$483,744
Eudora - City of	Douglas	K-10/Church Street - Shared Use Path	$947,404
Frontenac - City of	Crawford	Sidewalk Improvements	$1,457,458
Garden Plain - City of	Sedgwick	Harry and Main Street Sidewalks	$268,800
Halstead - City of	Harvey	Safe Routes to School - Priority 1 Improvements	$401,630
Independence - City of	Montgomery	West Main - Multi Use Path and Sidewalk	$980,224
Junction City - City of	Geary	Spring Valley Road -Sidewalk Improvements	$389,000
Lawrence - City of	Douglas	Safe Routes to School - Sidewalk Improvements	$955,000
Leavenworth - City of	Leavenworth	Vilas Street - ADA and Sidewalk Upgrades (10-20 and 20-22)	$1,265,840
Manhattan - City of	Riley	Juliette Avenue	$1,200,583
Manhattan - City of	Riley	K-18 & 17th Street - Pedestrian Improvements	$1,193,365
McPherson - City of	McPherson	Northview Trail - Phase 2	$856,351
Medicine Lodge/Barber Co.	Barber	Iliff Corridor - Pedestrian Improvements	$531,516
Neodesha - City of	Wilson	Safe Routes to School - Construction	$864,739
Osawatomie - City of	Miami	John Brown and South Levee Loop Project	$1,530,770
Parsons - City of	Labette	Tolen Creek Trail	$784,272
Sabetha - City of	Nemaha	Oregon Street - Sidewalk Project	$955,000
St. George - City of	Pottawatomie	Increase ability to walk/bike in St. George	$1,008,660
Strong City - City of	Chase	Cottonwood St. - Streetscape Project	$780,000
USD 270-Plainville	Rooks	Safe Routes to School and Beyond	$15,000
WaKeeney - City of	Trego	Downtown - Pedestrian Access and Streetscape Improvements	$1,287,481
Winfield - City of	Cowley	Pedestrian Access Expansion	$210,670
		TOTAL:	$28,499,909

For more information, visit http://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/burtransplan/TransAlt.asp or contact Jenny Kramer, KDOT State Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, at [email protected] or (785) 296-5186.

Photos from today’s announcement for media use can be found below.

Photo 1

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