Governor Laura Kelley Announces Bridge Projects in Mitchell and Washington Counties Receive Funding

Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed have announced that 35 local and off-system bridge projects across the state will receive a combined total of $42.3 million as part of two local bridge improvement programs that capitalize on new revenue from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

Combined with matching funds from the awarded cities and counties, the total project value is nearly $48.8 million.  By reshaping the local bridge programs to take advantage of BIL, the Kansas Department of Transportation more than doubled its annual funding as part of the existing Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE).

“A stronger transportation system and safer bridges keep our communities and economy moving,” Governor Laura Kelly said.  “There are more than 19,000 bridges on local road systems across Kansas, all of which are essential to getting people and goods where they need to go.  Yet almost 5,000 of those bridges simply cannot meet our state’s needs in a modern world, which is why these investments are critical for making our state a better place to live and work.”

The Kansas Department of Transportation’s Off-System Bridge program (OSB) is awarding $20.5 million in Fiscal Year 2025 funds to 20 projects across the state.  The Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program (KLBIP) is awarding $21.8 million in Fiscal Year 2024 KDOT funds to 15 projects, with 16 deficient bridges to be replaced and an additional 12 to be permanently removed from local systems.

The list of recipients in North Central Kansas are:
2024 Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program Projects
Mitchell County - J Road - 1.3 miles south, 2.2 miles east of Beloit over Plum Creek - $825,000 in maximum funds awarded

2025 Off-System Bridge Program Project Recommendations
Washington County - W Washington Street - in Hanover over Little Blue River Tributary - $1 million in maximum funds awarded

The OSB and KLBIP are targeted for city and county bridges not on the state highway system and in need of replacement or repair.  Funds for both programs are awarded through an application process and, in most cases, require a local contribution.  KDOT uses selection criteria that include bridge condition, detour length, inability to carry legal loads, and past project history.

For this cycle of the local bridge programs, KDOT received a combined total of 176 applications requesting $162.4 million.