Pratt County awarded $1.1 million KDOT grant to add shoulders on NW 70th Avenue

Heather, a county staff member, told the Pratt County Commission that Pratt County received $1,100,000 in federal High Risk Rural Roads funding through the Kansas Department of Transportation to add shoulders to Northwest 70th Avenue. The award requires a local match of $150,000, Heather said.

The announcement was described as a safety improvement for a stretch of road commissioners and staff have identified as hazardous. Heather said the governor announced the award the prior week and thanked county staff for preparing the application.

Doug, a county staff member who spoke later in the meeting, said the project is planned as a 90/10 split and will cover a six-mile stretch to address the worst parts of the corridor. He said engineering work might appear on the county budget in 2026 while construction is expected in 2027, and that the six-mile length was chosen so the project would remain eligible for the program.

County staff emphasized the project will not likely affect next year's budget for construction but may require engineering funds earlier. No formal vote about the grant acceptance or budget appropriation was recorded during this meeting.

The grant follows repeated complaints from local drivers and school bus operators about narrow shoulders and steep ditches along the route; staff said adding paved shoulders should improve safety for large vehicles and reduce recurring maintenance of dirt shoulders.

County staff said partners on the application included KDOT and local engineering assistance; details on the project schedule, contractor selection, and final engineering costs were described as pending and will be brought back to the commission for future action.