Sunflower State Journal

The Kansas Transportation Department is launching work on new major highway projects for the first time in about six years after the state ran out of money to modernize and expand the state’s road network. This week, Gov. Laura Kelly and Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz have been crisscrossing the state announcing new highway projects that will be constructed as part of the state’s new $10 billion multiyear transportation program approved last year. While state lawmakers didn’t raise taxes to fund the program, the money for new construction will largely come from highway revenues that will no longer be shifted to the [...]

Gov. Laura Kelly and leading lawmakers on Thursday approved Kansas' first express toll lane, breaking ground for relieving traffic congestion in the Midwest. The state Finance Council approved the $300 million toll lane that will serve a highly congested section of U.S. 69 in Overland Park from 103rd Street to 151st Street. Plans call for widening the highway to three lanes in each direction, using the additional lane for motorists who are willing to pay a toll to drive with less traffic. Source: Sunflower State Journal

Plans to extend Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer rail service from Oklahoma to Kansas will likely require the state to share in the operating costs if it eventually becomes reality. Amtrak officials said Tuesday that it would cost roughly $500 million for track upgrades plus an unknown amount in operating costs that still need to be worked out. “Amtrak is committed to working together with the states to find a way to advance this service,” Amtrak President Stephen Gardner told a roundtable of media and local officials Tuesday. “We’re in it for the long haul,” Gardner said. “This is the type of service [...]