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Commission approves submission of $21 million RAISE grant application to upgrade ADA sidewalks and bus stops
Summary
The Lawrence City Commission voted to approve submission of a U.S. DOT RAISE grant application for a $21,000,000 Accessible Connections to Opportunities (ACTO) project to reconstruct curb ramps and sidewalks, upgrade bus stops, and add pedestrian crossings in areas of persistent poverty and along Safe Routes to School corridors.
The Lawrence City Commission on Jan. 7 authorized city staff to submit a U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE discretionary grant application seeking roughly $21 million to build ADA-compliant sidewalks, curb ramps, pedestrian crossings and bus-stop upgrades across multiple corridors in Lawrence.
Melissa Steven, director of municipal services and operations, told the commission the project aligns closely with the city’s Connected City strategy and the ADA transition plan approved in 2024. “This fall using the Build Kansas portal, it was noted that our ADA transition plan would be in complete alignment with RAISE,” Steven said, summarizing months of staff work to prepare the application.
Evan Crenton, the city’s ADA compliance administrator, described the application’s scope under the project name “Accessible Connections to Opportunities (ACTO).” The application targets sidewalk and curb-ramp reconstruction and infill, pedestrian crossing improvements on higher-speed corridors, and ADA-accessible boarding areas and amenities at transit stops. Crenton said the program emphasizes areas of persistent poverty, Safe Routes to School corridors and high transit ridership; one highlighted location, Bob Billings at Bristol Terrace, averages hundreds of daily boardings and currently lacks a signalized pedestrian crossing.
City staff said the construction portion would be 100% federally funded if awarded and would require no local construction match; the city’s financial responsibilities would cover design, easements and related pre-construction tasks. The project budget presented to the commission listed a total project estimate of just over $22 million with the construction portion at about $21 million.
Courtney Shipley, a member of the public, urged the city to require recycling or reuse of removed concrete and construction materials should the grant be awarded. “Where that material ends up is in our landfills,” Shipley told the commission; Melinda Harker, a city staff member on the call, said the city is looking at recycling opportunities and that crushing and separating concrete for reuse is more feasible in consolidated operations than on scattered small sites.
Commissioners praised staff for aligning the RAISE application to existing plans and for targeting corridors where upgrades would improve access to jobs, schools and transit. One commissioner highlighted that shifts in school boundary lines had increased pedestrian use of certain corridors and said a federal award would accelerate work that otherwise could take decades under the city’s ADA transition schedule.
The commission voted to approve staff’s submission of the RAISE application. City staff said awards are expected in mid-2025 and that, if funded, construction could begin in early 2027 after design, procurement and federal contracting processes. Staff also said they plan to award construction work in two packages to help meet timelines and to create contracting opportunities including for disadvantaged business enterprises.
