Kansas task force eager to finish stalled T-Works projects, invest in road preservation

The Kansas Legislature’s task force Thursday recommended completion of more than 20 highway projects suspended when the cash-strapped state government drained away highway funding to balance the budget and to place a high priority on investments preventing deterioration of existing infrastructure.

The panel of state and local government officials and industry representatives struggled to identify precise sources of funding to cover $535 million needed to finish 21 projects remaining from the T-Works program started in 2010. It was the same with pinpointing financing as much as $500 million annually for road preservation projects managed by the Kansas Department of Transportation.

In the second half of the 10-year program, the task force said KDOT must continue planning and executing large expansion projects that address profound safety problems and emerging economic development opportunities. The challenge of operating KDOT was put to the test when Gov. Sam Brownback redirected tax dollars earmarked for T-Works into the general budget after the state suffered deep revenue shortfalls. In large measure, deficits were driven by aggressive reductions in state income taxes and elimination of the income tax on more than 300,000 business owners. The income tax cuts signed into law by Brownback in 2012 were repealed in 2017 by the Legislature.

In all, Brownback and state lawmakers stripped more than $2 billion from KDOT since 2011 to keep state government in the black.