KDOT secretary outlines IKE program progress, funding pressure and major bridge projects; committee introduces two bills

Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Calvin Reid told the Committee on Transportation on Friday that the agency has made measurable progress under the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation (IKE) program while facing cost and revenue pressures that will shape project choices for the remainder of the decade.

"Transportation is a very big part of our state's fabric," Secretary Calvin Reid said, describing IKE as a 10-year, multi-modal program initially estimated at about $10,000,000,000 and emphasizing preservation as the program's top priority.

Reid framed several immediate and long-range challenges for lawmakers and local officials. He said construction prices are roughly 60% higher than 2020 levels and about 40% higher than what KDOT projected in 2020, creating a funding gap even though some revenue lines — notably sales tax transfers and discretionary federal grants — have outperformed original estimates.

The secretary said motor fuels tax revenue has been essentially flat for two decades and now funds a Special City and County Highway Fund by statutory formula. He also noted that vehicle registration surcharges for electric vehicles are directed to the State Highway Fund rather than the city/county fund. Reid said KDOT and the legislature will need to consider funding options and that the agency is pursuing federal discretionary grants — including awards from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — and using bonding as a cash-flow tool.

On safety, Reid highlighted the Drive to 0 coalition and its public dashboard. He said Kansas recorded 347 highway fatalities in 2024 — "the lowest number of highway fatalities in the…