SPI Insights

Kansas – State legislators passed a $10 billion transportation infrastructure plan renamed The Eisenhower Legacy Plan that will span 10 years of scheduled projects.

The bill, which is awaiting Gov. Laura Kelly’s signature, is an amended version of Kelly’s FORWARD plan, which she announced in February.

This plan allows for the maintenance and improvement of roads and highways in Kansas. It includes a mandate that all stalled T-Works projects must be completed before any new construction can begin in T-Works project districts, as well as a requirement for projects to be reviewed every two years instead of every 10 years under the state’s previous transportation plan.

The total cost over the life of the Eisenhower Legacy Plan remains at about $10 billion over a decade, and still includes language that would allow the Department of Transportation to fund certain highway projects using dollars collected from turnpike tolls. Additionally, there is still funding for broadband infrastructure grants and improvements to the state’s short line railroad system.

Officials said six T-Works projects will be let in 2020. One of those projects benefiting from the new approach is a $23.04 million expansion of US-69 that will widen the road to four lanes in Crawford County. Construction is scheduled to begin in September 2020.