Gov. Laura Kelly recently signed bipartisan legislation that creates the new 10-year Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program in the state of Kansas.
“This fiscally responsible program provides a visionary approach so that Kansas has the flexibility to address immediate needs and secure more opportunities for our future,” Gov. Kelly said in a statement. “Investing in Kansas’ infrastructure means putting people to work. It means fixing our roads and bridges. It means safer transportation for our most precious cargo—our children."
The governor also commended legislators for the bipartisan support of the bill, saying its swift passage was key to helping the recovery of the state's economy once the COVID-19 public health crisis subsides.
Key elements of the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program include:
- Requiring the Kansas DOT (KDOT) to establish metrics making sure highway preservation needs are fully funded before adding onto the highway system.
- Instead of a once-a-decade, 10-year set list of projects, new modernization and expansion projects will be selected for the development pipeline every two years.
- KDOT is required to develop minimum spending ranges for KDOT districts using a metric-driven process, and 40% of the minimum investments must occur within the first five years of the program.
- Every Kansas county will receive at least $8 million in transportation improvements.
Work began on this program in 2018 with the creation of the Joint Legislative Transportation Vision Task Force.
KDOT is analyzing the bill, working on the state's T-WORKS projects, and will announce the addition of highway projects to the development pipeline soon.
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SOURCE: Office of Gov. Laura Kelly