Kansas Highway Patrol seeks phased work to consolidate Salina campus, asks legislature for $51.7 million

At a meeting of the Joint Committee on State Building Construction, the Kansas Highway Patrol presented a consultant-built needs assessment for its Salina campus and recommended a partial consolidation onto a new campus; the agency asked the legislature for $51.7 million to begin initial phases.

The assessment, completed under the direction of House Bill 2551 (2024), was presented by Rick Wise, principal analyst with Clark Enersen Design, and Jonathan Tallman, principal with Dewberry. Merle Bridal, executive officer for the Kansas Highway Patrol, told the committee the agency concurs with the report’s recommendation of option 2 — a partial reconfiguration onto a new campus — but called the total estimate of roughly $416.6 million “probably insurmountable” and asked for funding for early phases.

The consultants told the committee the campus is functionally spread across four locations with about 188,000 square feet of existing space that does not meet a 25-year program need projected at roughly 375,000 square feet and would require between 60 and 187 acres depending on the scenario. Jonathan Tallman summarized condition and program findings, saying facility needs include more and modernized training classrooms, updated technology in classrooms, modernized dormitories that meet current ADA standards, greater storage across troops, and a new dispatch center: "Dormitories need to be, definitely modernized. They're outdated. They they don't meet any of the ADA requirements," Tallman said.

Consultants identified a major safety and mission concern…