According to a release, the Kansas Department of Transportation has awarded 37 point 2 million dollars to the projects selected for its Transportation Alternatives program.
Locally, the City of Atchison will receive 671-thousand dollars for Phase 4 of the Atchison Middle School East Safe Routes to School project.
The City of Valley Falls will receive 586-thousand dollars for sidewalk improvements.
The City of Leavenworth is set to receive 618-thousand dollars for its Centennial Overlook to Downtown improvements.
And the City of Marysville will receive just over one point 8 million dollars for work on the Blue River Rail Trail Corridor.
The release says the Transportation Alternatives program provides federal funding to promote active transportation, along with certain scenic and historic improvements.
Governor Laura Kelly, in the release, says improving alternate modes of travel provides better mobility and connectivity opportunities that keep people moving across the state.
KDOT evaluated 40 applications during this cycle, making selections based on program criteria and input from internal and external partners.
The next call for projects is expected to open in the spring of 2028.
The City of Valley Falls is celebrating its selection for the funding that will reshape sidewalks across its downtown.
Valley Falls has been awarded $586,000 through the State of Kansas Transportation Alternatives Program to make what the city, in a release, calls significant pedestrian and accessibility improvements.
The release says the funding will be used to replace and improve sidewalks throughout the downtown business district, bringing pedestrian routes into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The city says those improvements will provide safer and more accessible sidewalks for residents, visitors, downtown businesses, and individuals with mobility needs.
The project will also include improvements to the school crosswalk at Oak Street and K-16 Highway, a pedestrian crossing widely used by students and families.
City Administrator Wesley Lanter, in the release, says the improvements will have a lasting impact on the city, adding that making downtown sidewalks ADA compliant and improving the school crossing at Oak and K-16 will help create a safer, more accessible community for residents and visitors of all ages and abilities.
The release says the city is grateful to the State of Kansas and the Kansas Department of Transportation for the investment, calling the award an important opportunity to improve pedestrian safety, accessibility, and the overall appearance and functionality of the downtown area.
Additional information on the project schedule, construction, and potential impacts to pedestrian and vehicle traffic will be provided by the city as plans are finalized.
