Kansas awards $40.5 million to overhaul 31 local bridges across the state

TOPEKA, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly and state transportation officials announced Wednesday that 31 local bridge projects will receive a combined $40.5 million in state and federal funding to replace or repair aging infrastructure.

Combined with local matching funds, the initiative will inject nearly $44.5 million into city and county road networks. Locally, the city of Hutchinson was awarded $1.15 million to address the East Sixth Avenue bridge over the East Side Drain. Crawford County will receive $1.9 million for a bridge replacement near Frontenac, while Sumner County secured $2 million for a road bridge over the C.R.I. & P. Railroad just southwest of Wellington.

"Kansas' local bridges are critical to connecting communities and supporting the state's economy," Kelly said. "Improving bridges across our state creates safer, more reliable transportation networks for everyone who relies on them each and every day."

The funding is divided between two Kansas Department of Transportation initiatives. The Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program will distribute about $20 million in state fiscal year 2027 to replace 15 bridges and permanently remove four deficient structures. Meanwhile, the Off-System Bridge program will provide $20.5 million for 16 projects in federal fiscal year 2028, pulling from federal surface transportation block grants and state funds.

KDOT Secretary Calvin Reed said the programs are essential for communities that might otherwise leave infrastructure needs unmet due to prohibitive costs. The state faces a massive backlog, with more than 5,000 of its 19,000 local road bridges requiring updates to meet modern standards. The high demand for upgrades was evident during this application cycle, as KDOT received 182 applications requesting a total of $222 million.

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