Kansas Office of the Governor email updates

Media Release: Governor Kelly and KDOT Announce Over $37M for 33 Transportation Alternatives Projects

Kansas Office of the Governor sent this bulletin at 08/17/2026 01:30 PM CDT

For Immediate Release:         
August 17, 2026
          
Contact:         
Keira Beatty
Keira.Beatty@ks.gov

Governor Kelly and KDOT Announce Over $37M for 33 Transportation Alternatives Projects

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly and The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) today announced that $37.2 million in federal funds has been awarded to 33 projects selected for inclusion in KDOT’s Transportation Alternatives (TA) program. The TA Program provides federal funding to promote and enable use of active transportation and for certain scenic and historic improvements, such as:

Pedestrian/Bicycle/Non-motorized transportation infrastructure
Abandoned railway corridors to trails conversion
Safe Routes to School – construction and non-construction
Historic transportation facility preservation and rehabilitation
Scenic and environmental improvements

“Improving alternate modes of travel provides better mobility and connectivity opportunities that keep people moving across the state,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “As the state’s largest program that funds community projects focused on active transportation, the Transportation Alternatives program provides crucial support in every corner of Kansas.”

KDOT evaluated the 40 applications from this cycle and made selections based on the program criteria and input provided by internal and external partners. Criteria consisted of including proven safety countermeasures, demonstrating readiness and need, population size, and geographic distribution. KDOT also assessed data available as part of the state’s Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment Tool.

“The TA program prioritizes safety and accessibility for people who walk, bike, or roll to work, school, appointments, and other activities,” said Jenny Kramer, KDOT State Active Transportation Manager. “With the focus on safety, it is exciting that the Highway Safety Improvement Program is also investing $6 million towards this round. More funding allows for more projects, which enhances safety in more communities.”

The next call for projects is expected to open in spring 2028.

For more information and a map showing each project location, visit: https://www.ksdot.gov/programs/multimodal-programs/transportation-alternatives.

The 33 awarded TA projects are listed below:

	Project Sponsor	Project Title	TA Award
1	City of Alta Vista	Prairie Heights Elementary Safe Routes to School	$689,000
2	City of Atchison	AMS East Safe Routes to School - Phase 4	$671,000
3	City of Coffeyville	Sidewalks and Crosswalks	$856,000
4	City of Columbus	Safe Routes to School Improvements - Priority 3	$801,000
5	City of Colwich	Community Connectivity Improvements	$826,000
6	City of Council Grove	Safe Routes to School Phase 2	$1,323,000
7	City of De Soto	Sunflower Road Shared-Use Path Missing Link	$335,000
8	City of El Dorado	12th Avenue Multiuse Path Connectivity and Safety	$870,000
9	City of Ellsworth	Douglas Avenue Sidewalk Crossing	$105,000
10	City of Emporia	Safe Routes to School Improvements	$1,199,000
11	City of Eudora	Wakarusa Boat Ramp Park Connection	$1,199,000
12	City of Florence	Downtown Streetscape and Pedestrian Safety Improvements	$1,275,000
13	City of Fort Scott	Buck Run Corridor Transformation Phase 1	$1,451,000
14	City of Girard	Phase 3: Pedestrian Transportation Facilities	$561,000
15	City of Great Bend	Forest Avenue Pedestrian Safety and Accessibility	$356,000
16	City of Great Bend	Downtown 10th and Main Pedestrian Crossing	$312,000
17	City of Inman	Main Street Streetscape and Pedestrian Safety	$682,000
18	City of Junction City	Ash Street Sidewalk Improvements	$740,000
19	City of Lansing	South Lansing Side Path and Main Street Crosswalk	$2,662,000
20	City of Lawrence	Lawrence Loop - Downtown	$1,227,000
21	City of Lawrence	Safe Routes to School Sidewalks and Crossings	$1,105,000
22	City of Leavenworth	Centennial Overlook to Downtown Improvements	$618,000
23	City of Marysville	Blue River Rail Trail Corridor	$1,835,000
24	City of McPherson	Northview 10-foot Multi-Use Path Phase 3	$806,000
25	City of Ottawa	Princeton Street and Princeton Circle Drive Sidewalk Connectivity	$926,000
26	City of Pittsburg	Downtown Educational Locust /Elm Connector	$1,812,000
27	City of Rossville	Safe Routes to School Plan Implementation	$1,592,000
28	City of South Hutchinson	Blanchard Corridor Trail Connection	$735,000
29	City of Spring Hill	215th Street Sidewalk and Crosswalk Visibility Enhancements	$2,601,000
30	City of Valley Falls	Sidewalk Improvements	$586,000
31	Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy Inc.	Landon Trail – Shawnee Heights Road to 121st Street	$2,090,000
32	Pottawatomie County	Excel Road and Side Path	$1,633,000
33	Wallace County	Safe Routes to School Plan Implementation	$2,736,000
		Total	$37,215,000

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