By Trish Svoboda
Today, Governor Laura Kelly made an announcement regarding the allocation of $6.65 million in federal funds. These funds will go toward 10 rural projects aimed at enhancing the safety and efficiency of local roadways. This initiative is a part of the High-Risk Rural Roads (HRRR) Program run by the Kansas Department of Transportation.
The HRRR program, which is federally funded through the Highway Safety Improvement Program, is specifically designed to boost rural road safety. In addition to the federal funds, an extra $2.37 million in local funds will be utilized for the chosen projects. Out of 46 applications that sought $40.5 million in federal funds, 10 HRRR projects were selected this year.
Kansas Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed pointed out that data indicates over 60% of fatal and serious injury crashes occur on county-owned roads and highways. He added that these funds aid rural partners in enhancing roadway safety through the use of cost-effective and proven countermeasures.
The projects under this program are split into one of two categories: Systemic, which covers a local roadway network, or Site Specific.
The selected projects are:
| COUNTY | CATEGORY | AMOUNT AWARDED | COUNTY MATCH | DESCRIPTION |
| Barber | Site Specific | $420,000 | $122,000 | Install guardrail on Gyp Hill Road. |
| Crawford | Site Specific | $530,000 | $328,960 | Intersection improvements at S 200th Street and E 520th Avenue. |
| Dickinson | Site Specific | $1,055,000 | $297,000 | Widen roadway and install 3-inch shoulders with SafetyEdgeTM, eliminate fixed obstacles, extend culverts, increase radius returns at two side roads, and install new pavement markings on 1400 Avenue between Jeep Road and Key Road. |
| Haskell | Systemic | $270,000 | N/A | Upgrade signing on all minor collectors in the county. |
| Linn | Site Specific | $370,000 | $104,000 | Install pavement markings, hazard markers, and signs on Route 1095 from 1150 Road to 1650 Road. |
| Ottawa | Site Specific | $1,015,000 | $163,000 | Widen roadway, install 2-inch shoulders with SafetyEdgeTM, and install new pavement markings on N 170th Road from the Ottawa/Saline County line to K-18. |
| Phillips | Systemic | $525,000 | N/A | Upgrade signing on 154 miles of county roads east of U.S. 183. |
| Sedgewick | Site Specific | $1,600,000 | $1,117,000 | Improve edge conditions on W. MacArthur Road from 215th Street to K-42. |
| Seward | Site Specific | $775,000 | $202,000 | Extend four culverts, flatten the fore slopes, and install 1.5-inch shoulders on Road I north of Road 16. |
| Shawnee | Site Specific | $90,000 | $32,700 | Improve the geometry of two curves on NW 42nd Street and install new pavement markings, signs, and lighting to improve nighttime visibility. |
