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Kansas transportation secretary briefs committee on Ike program, funding pressures and major projects
Summary
KDOT Secretary Calvin Reid told the Senate Transportation Committee the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program has funded preservation and expansion projects but rising construction costs have outpaced revenue growth; he highlighted major projects, federal grant wins and the need to plan for long‑term funding alternatives.
Calvin Reid, secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation, told the Senate Transportation Committee the agency is focused on preserving the existing system while delivering modernization and expansion projects under the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (Ike).
"Every Kansan, every day relies on transportation," Reid said, framing KDOT's role and the agency's strategic values: people focused, results oriented, forward looking and accountable. He told the committee Kansas has one of the largest bridge inventories per capita in the nation and described the program's priorities, emphasizing preservation as the largest allocation.
Reid reviewed program metrics through fiscal year 2024: approximately $2.8 billion in preservation projects have been let and the agency has repaired or replaced about 390 bridges, figures he described as part of cyclical preservation work. For modernization and expansion, Reid said the program planned roughly $2.3 billion of work plus about $500 million to complete phases left over from the previous T‑Works program, for a total near $2.8–2.9 billion in modernization/expansion work.
He warned of a funding gap driven by rising costs: revenues have outperformed original 2020 estimates by about 18 percent but the cost of projects has run about 40 percent higher than estimated through fiscal 2024. The agency has pursued federal grants aggressively and reported nearly $200 million in federal grant awards in calendar year 2024 to help close that gap.
Reid outlined major projects in the construction and development pipelines, including the Wichita North Junction (in a second phase of construction), the Polk‑Quincy Viaduct replacement in Topeka (with a six‑to‑seven month full closure planned during construction), a Centennial Bridge project at Leavenworth and K‑96 northeast bypass work near Wichita. He described local consult meetings as a recurring, participatory process that feeds local priorities into KDOT's scoring and selection; Reid said he makes the final decision on prioritization after staff scoring.
On revenue sources, Reid emphasized the long decline in motor fuels tax purchasing power since it was last reset in 2003 and noted the agency's interest in alternatives, including a future road usage charge study. He also thanked KDOT crews for response to a recent major snow event and emphasized the agency's focus on safety initiatives, citing a lapel pin slogan, "buckle up, phone down." Committee members asked about scoring, local cost‑share program participation, aesthetic treatments for urban bridges and the agency's role in achieving county investment promises. Reid agreed to provide committee members with data on cost‑share program usage.
The presentation closed with committee appreciation for the agency briefing and no immediate committee action recorded.
