Saline County to get Infrastructure Funding

Saline County has been selected to receive funding as part of the Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program.

Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz announced the selection as part of the state-local partnership program that is part of the IKE transportation program. This year’s selections include 27 counties and three cities who will receive a combined total of $5.1 million.

“Congratulations to Saline County for submitting a successful application and securing local matching funds for a bridge project that is critical to the community’s success,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Improving the overall transportation system across our state is integral to our economic recovery, and an important step forward as we work to invest in and rebuild our state’s foundation.”

“I was thrilled to receive the news that Saline County will be a recipient of the KLBIP,” said Justin Mader, Saline County Engineer. “This bridge is the last fracture critical bridge in Saline County on Mentor Road. The bridge and road serve as a very important route to get grain and livestock to market.”

The Harper County bridge chosen for replacement is 2.0 miles North and 0.2 miles East of Gypsum on Mentor Road.

KDOT reinstated this bridge program in 2019 to assist cities and counties by providing up to $150,000 toward the replacement or rehabilitation of a bridge on the local roadway system. For this recent round of KLBIP selections, a total of 68 applications from 61 local public agencies were received with requests for $11.4 million in funds. The total value of the individual bridge replacement costs ranged from $150,000 to $2.4 million.

“We welcome opportunities to partner with Kansas cities and counties to replace or rehabilitate deteriorating bridges,”said Secretary Julie Lorenz, Kansas Department of Transportation. “This program allows KDOT to help communities move forward with projects that keep critical local roadways open and viable.”

The KLBIP targets bridges 20-50 feet in length and with a daily vehicle count of less than 100. Of the nearly 25,000 total bridges on the roadway system – approximately 19,000 of them owned by local entities – over 5,700 have ratings or characteristics that make them eligible for replacement under this program.

The list of cities and counties receiving funding is below. Those with an asterisk indicate recipients that also chose to close a second deficient bridge in order to receive an additional $50,000: