Kansas transportation secretary seeks Pittsburg input on new plan

The current transportation plan will be finished in 2009, and Miller said she and her staff have been traveling the state for the past two years in order to develop a local consult process and find out how KDOT can better partner with local officials to develop a long term, systemwide plan for the state’s 10,000 miles of roadway.

Miller emphasized that she does not plan to present a new plan in the next legislative session. “We’re just not quite there yet,” she said, explaining that she feels the department needs to have a better vision for the state before asking the legislature to make hard choices.

The Pittsburg meeting was attended by state Rep. Shirley Palmer, D-Fort Scott, and state Rep. Julie Menghini, D-Pittsburg, among community leaders from southeast Kansas.

Miller was introduced by Dean Mann, Fort Scott, who is president of the U.S. 69 Association and a member of KDOT’s LRTP economic impact committee. He said, “Having access to our communities is crucial not only from a safety standpoint, but from an economic development standpoint.” Miller continued to address business and economic development needs throughout her presentation.

Miller said the feedback she has received so far indicates that Kansans are adamant about maintaining and preserving the existing system. In 1989, the state passed the first comprehensive transportation program, which focused on rehabilitating highways that were badly deteriorating. The 10-year Comprehensive Highway Program cost $3 billion, and was followed by the Comprehensive Transportation Program in 1999, at a cost of $5.5 billion. That program, slated for completion by 2009, focused on the system as a whole and included area, rail, public transit, and capacity issues.

Miller said the next step is “really thinking about where we need to go as a state.” She added, “We have done something extraordinary in the state of Kansas.” She said Kansas is perhaps the only state to have funded back-to-back transportation programs with support of governors and legislators from both parties and across the state.

One big issue for planners is that there is no guarantee future funding will be forthcoming. Miller estimated that the state’s transportation needs over the next 20 years averages out to $2.9 billion a year, while the actual amount currently available is $1.4 billion per year.

Because of the uncertainty, Miller said she is developing two projections. One focuses on the core projects, including maintaining the existing infrastructure. The other projection includes those core projects and adds new programs that deal with modernization, capacity, emerging needs, and innovation. These three issues have been identified by those who have offered input in community meetings throughout the state.

One goal is to make transportation a more accessible tool for business and economic development.

Capacity will continue to be a huge issue, Miller said, citing estimates that freight shipments by truck will double over the next 20 years. One suggestion has been to divert some of that traffic to rail, but rail systems are already growing over capacity as well. Miller said short-line railroads, such as those owned by Watco in Pittsburg, provide vital connections between rural areas such as Southeast Kansas and the major rail hubs in urban areas. Rural industries depend on good transportation, she said, pointing out that Kansas has a population of 2.7 million people and 6.7 million cows. When it comes to counting cars on the road, she said, KDOT needs to count the cows as well.

“The Kansas rail industry is really important to the [economic viability] of our state,” Miller said.

Transit services also face a huge shortfall. Two hundred providers in the state now serve 8.6 million riders, but a capacity for 20 million rides is needed, Miller said. The current programs total $50 million annually, but the projected need is for $160 million per year.