Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced last week that 11 rural road projects across Kansas will receive more than $8.1 million in federal funding through the state’s High Risk Rural Roads (HRRR) Program.

The initiative, part of the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation (IKE) Program, is aimed at improving safety on rural roadways by upgrading signage, intersections and other critical infrastructure.

“By improving intersections, signage, and other critical roadway features, we are building momentum for a safer, stronger Kansas,” Kelly said in a statement.

The HRRR program is funded through the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program, with an additional $1.6 million in local matching funds supporting the selected projects. The 11 projects were chosen from 29 applications requesting nearly $30 million.

“With over 20% of fatal and serious injury crashes occurring on county roads, strong partnerships will be necessary to achieve the goal of zero roadway fatalities,” said Kansas Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed.

Projects include shoulder additions in Ellsworth, Finney, Meade and Pratt counties; upgraded signage in Osborne and Trego counties; and pavement markings, rumble strips and safety enhancements in several others.

The projects fall under two categories: systemic improvements across multiple roadways or site-specific upgrades targeting high-risk areas.

Source: Kansas Department of Transportation, Ransonfinanicial.com