Bridges in Cowley and Sumner counties were approved for funding for repairs.
According to the governor’s office a bridge in Cowley County at 232nd Road, 2.5 miles south and 3.5 miles west of Dexter over Grouse Creek will receive $2 million, with a local match of cost of $424,295 — or 17.5 percent of the total cost — under the 2024 Off-System Bridge Program.
In Sumner County, $1,150,000 has been approved for N. Oliver road, just over two miles north of Belle Plaine over the Cowskin Creek Tributary under the 2024 Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program.
The Sumner County project also calls for Kansas Department of Transportation matching funds of $1,095,500, provides $54,500 for bridge removal and has a local cost of $315,478 — or 10 percent of the total project cost.
Overall, 35 local and off-system bridge projects across Kansas 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, the governor’s office said.
The federal infrastructure bill received just one Kansas vote in Congress via Rep. Sharice Davids, a Roeland Park Democrat.
Republicans Jake LaTurner of Topeka and Tracey Mann of Salina voted against, as did Ron Estes, whose district includes Wichita and the Cowley County area.
In the U.S. Senate, Kansas Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall, both Republicans, voted against.
Overall, eight Republicans joined all 200 Democrats in passing the infrastructure bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, while 19 Republicans joined all 50 Democrats in the Senate.
“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 Off-System Bridge Program and Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program are targeted for city and county bridges not on the state highway system and in need of replacement or repair, the governor’s office said.
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.
