The Build Kansas steering committee on June 17 reviewed $3,578,000 in Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) requests and recommended approval for a series of planning, demonstration and implementation grants aimed at improving pedestrian and roadway safety across the state. Jason Fitzell, interim executive director of the Kansas Infrastructure Hub, presented the applications and the committee asked for limited clarifications before moving forward. "We have unlocked $75,530,000 in federal funds, which gives us a return on investment of 221% currently," Fitzell said.

Why it matters: SS4A grants support data-driven projects that reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries. The committee’s advice will be used as part of the Build Kansas Fund review and to support subsequent federal grant award processes.

The committee heard project summaries and recommended approval for multiple local proposals. The City of Douglas requested $54,150 to study safety near Douglas High School and Douglas Middle School along Highway 77, targeting pedestrian crossings, signage and low-visibility intersections; committee members raised no objections and approved the request. The City of Halstead requested $47,500 to develop a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP) for its network after 32 reported crashes between 2019 and 2023; the committee approved that request. Coffeyville sought $30,000 to conduct a road safety audit and traffic engineering study along U.S. 166 — a corridor the presenter said experienced more than 90 crashes from 2018–2022, including two fatalities — and the committee moved its recommendation forward.

Larger implementation requests included a $1,615,000 proposal from Valley Falls to build sidewalks, ADA ramps and other safety projects near school corridors; the committee advanced the funding advice for that application. Cowley County’s implementation project at the K‑15 and County 160 intersection — proposed to realign the intersection and add rumble strips, safety edge treatments and enhanced signage — was presented as a $365,433.40 Build Kansas request and was brought forward for the committee’s final advice. Chase County requested $100,985 to convert local road safety cohort work into a complete CSAP and to demonstrate low-cost countermeasures at two sites; that application was advanced.

The committee also reviewed an EMS-focused supplemental planning and demonstration request from Junction City that includes vehicle-to-vehicle communications, emergency vehicle preemption upgrades at 15 intersections and retrofit ambulance restraint systems; the application was presented for final advice. Other SS4A applications discussed included Franklin County, Wallace County and a Flint Hills regional CSAP and demonstration package; those items included additional administrative or match discussions addressed separately by the committee.

Discussion and next steps: Several legislators asked how often studies lead to implementation and noted the multi-year timeline applicants face; Fitzell said earlier 2022 planning awards are only now returning studies because of grant agreement and execution time. Committee members repeatedly noted that SS4A implementation (Track 2) requires an eligible CSAP. The committee’s recommendations will be included with applications as they proceed to federal review and, where applicable, applicants were asked to provide additional documentation or meet match requirements before final disbursement.

Less urgent details: Fitzell also briefly reviewed Build Kansas dashboards, saying $34.2 million in federal awards have been executed or awarded, $53 million were awaiting federal award at the time of presentation, and $93,460,000 remained to be recycled into the fund for future applicants. He said the hub has provided technical assistance statewide, including a peak of outreach around the 2025 Kansas Infrastructure Summit in Lindsborg.