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 Jenny.Kramer@ks.gov or (785) 296-5186.
Photos from today’s announcement for media use can be found below.
- Photo 1
- Photo 2
- Photo 3
Original source can be found here
