Build Kansas advisory committee approves multiple projects, sends Franklin County bridge planning request back for KDOT follow-up

The Build Kansas Advisory Committee approved several local project applications on notice and asked staff to seek more information from the Kansas Department of Transportation before advancing a Franklin County bridge planning request.

At the meeting, Sean Wiesner, executive director of the Kansas Infrastructure Hub, told committee members that of the $100 million appropriated for the Build Kansas Fund, about $91.6 million has been committed, awarded or is awaiting federal funding and that the fund currently shows an $8.8 million available balance.

Wiesner said the number of federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) grant opportunities appears to have declined this year and that the hub has worked to connect applicants to alternative state and private funding sources. "While the number of federal grants on a national scale may have decreased, community needs across our state have not," Wiesner said.

Why it matters: The committee’s approvals move several local planning and design efforts forward and preserve the possibility of drawing federal dollars, but members pressed for clearer signals that planning grants will lead to construction funding — particularly for bridges, where state and federal dollars are often layered.

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