Two dozen transportation infrastructure projects announced for critical Kansas roads

Kansas is set to begin construction work on key transport and road infrastructure, a project which will see the state spending over US$750m.  

With 8 projects in eastern Kansas, 9 in the west, 6 planned in the south-central region, and 1 in the Overland Park area, Kansas is on course to break ground on 24 major projects that will positively affect the ease and safety of the transportation system in the state.

The different projects include widening road shoulders, upgrading interchanges, increasing the number of lanes, and other corrections that will make the roads more pliable for commuters. 

The Governor, Laura Kelly, lamented the decline of investment in infrastructure in the state from 30% of total expenditure to about 7% as of 2018. She also expressed readiness to secure a better future by making conscious efforts to reverse the odd trend.

“Investments in infrastructure are like a relay race. Each generation must carry the torch so the next generation can go farther. These investments will make our roads safer, create good jobs and deliver more economic opportunities to our state now and into the future,” she said.

The state will spend US$290 million in Shawnee County and other areas in the east, mostly on changing a 58-year-old viaduct on U.S. Highway 70 in Topeka and expanding major shoulders and highways in the region. Renovations in south-central Kansas will cost about $129 million, while another $300 million will be spent on renovation and expanding Highway 69 in Overland Park.