TOPEKA, KS — Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed announce the addition of 17 highway modernization and expansion projects — a total investment of $932 million — to the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program’s (IKE) Development Pipeline. IKE is the Kelly Administration’s bipartisan 10-year, $10 billion transportation program.

The announcement clears the way for preliminary engineering work to begin on these projects, which are in every region of the state.

“These highway projects tackle long-standing transportation needs across the state — improving safety, expanding economic development opportunities, and strengthening our communities,” Kelly said. “My administration is committed to making short- and long-term infrastructure improvements to benefit future generations of Kansans.”

The 2024 Development Pipeline announcement took place in the Kansas Statehouse. Joining Kelly and Reed to provide remarks were stakeholders representing three of the selected projects: Dr. John Wyrick, Superintendent of Labette County Public Schools, USD 506; Corey Peterson, President, Lindsborg City Council; and Kevin Schoendaler, City of Hoxie Councilmember.

The announcement results from the Kansas Department of Transportation's (KDOT) fall 2023 statewide Local Consult listening tour. More than 1,400 Kansans from across the state participated in these public meetings.

Reed said input from Kansans helped determine what investments were of the highest priority to rural and urban communities. He said the selection process is flexible to meet economic needs and is based on engineering data, local consultation, and geographic distribution.

“The projects being moved into the IKE Development Pipeline represent a mix of local and regional highway improvement priorities as identified by stakeholders and based on data,” Reed said. “We appreciate how the Local Consult process gives KDOT an opportunity to strengthen local partnerships, to better understand which KDOT programs matter most to communities, and to get feedback on how we can improve delivery.”

• $126 million project to expand U.S. 75 from Holton north to K-20 in Jackson County into a four-lane expressway
• $25 million project for modernization and interchange improvements on I-35/U.S. 56 interchange in Johnson County
• $35 million project to modernize and reconstruct K-5, from U.S. 73 southeast to I-435 in Wyandotte/Leavenworth Counties, on a new alignment
• $70 million project for expansion and interchange improvements on I-135/I-70 interchange in Saline County
• $20 million project to expand and add passing lanes on U.S. 56 from east of McPherson to east of Marion in McPherson County
• $8 million project to modernize and reconstruct K-4 and Bethany Drive at Lindsborg in McPherson County on a new alignment
• $29 million project to modernize, reconstruct, and add shoulders on K-14, from K-140 north to I-70 West interchange in Ellsworth County
• $35 million project to modernize, reconstruct, and add shoulders on K-27 from 2.4 miles north of E. U.S. 40 junction north to Zigzag Road in Wallace County
• $40 million project to modernize, reconstruct, and add shoulders on K-23 from I-70 north to County Road 406 in Sheridan/Gove counties
• $10 million project to expand and add passing lanes on U.S. 169 from U.S. 160 north to U.S. 400 in Montgomery County
• $50 million project to modernize, reconstruct, and add shoulders on U.S. 160, from 2 miles east of southern U.S. 169 junction east to Altamont, Montgomery/Labette counties
• $10 million project to modernize, resurface, and add shoulders on U.S. 160, from southern U.S. 169 junction, east through the first curve in Montgomery County
• $173 million project to expand U.S. 54, from 1 mile west of K-11/U.S. 54 to the existing four lanes east of Kingman in Kingman County, into a four-lane freeway
• $50 million project to expand and create a new interchange, overpass, and connector road on K-254 at Webb and Rock roads in Sedgwick County
• $200 million project to expand U.S. 54, Kellogg Avenue east of 159th Street and east to Prairie Creek Road in Butler County, into a six-lane freeway
• $30 million project for modernization, interchange improvements, and bridge replacement on U.S.50/Meridian Street interchange in Newton, Harvey County
• $21 million project to modernize and add shoulders on K-156 from Finney/Hodgeman County line east to 4 miles west of Jetmore in Hodgeman County