Passed over by KDOT, Lenexa seeks $600 million in federal aid for highway projects
The City of Lenexa is seeking more than $600 million in federal aid for a pair of road construction projects in Johnson County that failed to get the green light at the state level.
Lenexa wants more than $400 million to complete the third phase of the expansive Johnson County Gateway project at the heavily traveled interchange of I-435, I-35 and K-10.
The proposal would pay for the construction of a flyover ramp at I-35 northbound and I-435 westbound and improvements to the I-435 interchange at 95th Street among other upgrades to reduce congestion.
In addition, Lenexa is asking for nearly $200 million to expand K-10 between K-7 and I-435.
The requests were submitted on Lenexa’s behalf to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by Kansas Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids, the panel’s vice chair.
The Lenexa proposals are massive compared to the other earmark requests offered by Davids, including $15 million for improvements to U.S. Route 69 on behalf of KDOT.
They were not included on an initial list of earmarks Davids’ office shared with The Star. The office said Davids added the projects Tuesday evening after receiving additional supporting documentation from Lenexa.
KDOT and Overland Park offered a targeted request for a shovel-ready portion of the U.S. 69 expansion project, but Lenexa asked substantially more for projects still in the planning stages.
“These are the kinds of projects that would not only help keep us safe and reduce congestion, but they would bring good paying jobs to the Kansas 3rd and help our small businesses that are especially struggling right now,” Davids said in a statement.
But Davids is under no obligation to submit each request she receives and may have stepped into a feud between KDOT and Lenexa by forwarding the city’s proposals.
KDOT emphasized that it was not involved in Lenexa’s requests, which were submitted by the city directly to Davids.
Mike Nolan, assistant to the city manager, said that Lenexa has been advocating for these two projects to be placed on KDOT’s prioritization list to be funded through the state’s 10-year Eisenhower Legacy Transportation program, also known as IKE, which selects projects every two years.
But they did not make the initial cut.
Nolan said that while the city is still hopeful it will be placed on KDOT’s prioritization list in the future, it applied for federal aid to propel the work forward.
“These two projects specifically are something the city has been advocating for to the congressional delegation for several years now. We realize they’re large in scope, but since they lie within our geographic boundaries, they’re extremely important to us,” Nolan said. “But we also understand the importance of acting as a regional partner.”
Nolan said that the city had originally used the wrong form to submit its requests to Davids more than a month ago, but resolved the issue Tuesday evening. The city submitted three requests, including a third project which wasn’t chosen.
“We didn’t coordinate with KDOT to submit these, although they know they’re out there and we’ve been advocating for them for a while,” he said
Lindsey Douglas, deputy secretary for the Kansas Department of Transportation, cautioned that there are likely years of engineering and design work to be done before those projects are ready for construction, she said.
“We know those are additional projects that the northeast Kansas region would like to see done, particularly Lenexa. And we’re appreciative of them trying to bring back some federal dollars for those projects,” Douglas said. “But it’s not something the state has invested in yet. We don’t have them in our pipeline yet for development.”
The second phase of the Johnson County Gateway Project, completed in 2016, is the largest highway project ever undertaken by KDOT at a price tag of $288 million.
Douglas said that the K-10 corridor expansion in Lenexa is likely a higher priority than the gateway’s third phase.
“You’re starting to see a lot of congestion in that area, usually at peak travel times. And so we likely will need additional capacity there,” Douglas said. “We listen to the input of the region and communities about what their highest priorities are. And we’ve heard more about issues on K-10 today that need to be addressed.”
Nolan acknowledged that it was uncertain whether the requests would succeed, but he said it was important for the city to raise the issue with federal lawmakers.
“These are heavy lifts. The total project costs for both projects are three quarters of a billion dollars. It’s a heavy lift for even the state to do,” Nolan said. “We know they are of regional significance, not only in Kansas but Kansas City metrowide.”
Davids is one of two Kansas City area lawmakers on the committee that will vet the transportation requests. Missouri Rep. Sam Graves is the top Republican on the committee.
Graves’ biggest earmark request was for $19 million for a safe streets and sidewalks program in Excelsior Springs. Graves is also seeking $5.5 million on behalf of the Missouri Department of Transportation to improve that I-35 interchange at 19th Street in Kearney.
Missouri Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, who partnered with Davids on a request for a fleet of electric buses for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, also had late additions to his list of requests.
Cleaver is seeking $3 million for the Carol Coe Bridge of Opportunity in Kansas City’s Jazz District and $2.2 million to improve the Cliff Drive State Scenic Byway in George E. Kessler Park.
This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 2:29 PM.
