Kansas Department of Transportation
03/17/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/17/2026 13:10
Governor Kelly announces over $8.77M for rural road safety improvements
TOPEKA - Governor Laura Kelly today announced over $8.77 million in federal funds will go toward 13 projects to enhance safety on rural roadways in Kansas. The effort is part of the Kansas Department of Transportation's High Risk Rural Roads (HRRR) Program.
"Kansas' rural roads are an integral part of our state's transportation system, playing a key role in connecting communities and supporting the Kansas economy," Governor Laura Kelly said. "These funds will provide crucial assistance to local governments across Kansas as they deliver projects to improve safety in our rural communities."
In addition to the $8.77 million in federal funding, nearly $1.4 million in local matching funds will make these projects possible. This year's 13 HRRR projects were selected from 32 applications seeking $28.2 million in federal funds.
"More than 50% of Kansas' fatal and serious injury crashes happen on the local road system," said Secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation Calvin Reed. "The High Risk Rural Roads Program targets funding where it will have the most impact in reducing roadway fatality and serious injury crashes."
Projects in this program fall into one of two categories: Systemic - encompassing a local roadway network; or Site Specific.
The selected projects and amount awarded are below:
|
County |
Category |
Amount Awarded |
County Match |
Description of Project |
|
Douglas |
Site Specific |
$250,000 |
$22,000 |
Guard rail replacement at N 950 Road and East 550 Road |
|
Grant |
Site Specific |
$945,000 |
$233,000 |
Add 2-inch asphalt widening and pavement marking on Road 21 from K-25 east 4.5 miles |
|
Kearny |
Systemic |
$420,000 |
N/A |
Upgrade signing on all major collectors and paved minor collectors |
|
Lyon |
Systemic |
$620,000 |
N/A |
Upgrade signing on all paved county roads |
|
Montgomery |
Site Specific |
$1,575,000 |
$260,000 |
Add 3-inch asphalt widening and pavement marking on Buckeye Road from 1450 to the Oklahoma state line |
|
Osage |
Site Specific |
$640,000 |
$157,000 |
Extend the culvert and widen the pavement on Auburn Road between 109th and 117th streets |
|
Osborne |
Systemic |
$365,000 |
N/A |
Upgrade signing on all major and minor collectors north of U.S. 24 and west of U.S. 281 |
|
Ottawa |
Site Specific |
$1,210,000 |
$287,905 |
Add asphalt widening and flatten slopes |
|
Pawnee |
Site Specific |
$905,000 |
$160,000 |
Add 1-inch aggregate shoulders and improve slopes |
|
Saline |
Site Specific |
$340,000 |
$91,000 |
Replace guard rail and pavement marking on South Kip Road from K-4 to East Country Club Road |
|
Smith |
Systemic |
$480,000 |
N/A |
Upgrade signing on all major and minor collectors south of U.S. 36 |
|
Sumner |
Site Specific |
$570,000 |
$159,000 |
Replace guard rail and pavement marking on Oliver Road from U.S. 166 to the Sedgwick County line |
|
Trego |
Systemic |
$450,000 |
N/A |
Upgrade signing on all rural local roads south of MCS 9808 and west of U.S. 281 |
To learn more about the HRRR program, visit the website.
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Kansas Department of Transportation published this content on March 17, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 17, 2026 at 19:10 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]