Posted on 09/16/2016 1:11:52 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Kansas has more than 140,000 miles of public roads — the fourth most in the U.S. Such a massive network requires substantial public investment in maintenance and new projects, and some transportation advocates are worried that the state’s revenue crisis will prevent much of this necessary work from getting done.
For example, the Brownback administration has transferred more than $1 billion from the Kansas Department of Transportation to the state general fund over the past few years. …
Earlier this year, $185 million was removed from the highway fund to counteract meager state revenue collections. This sweep was announced alongside the decision to put 25 highway projects on hold — 14 projects in fiscal year 2017 (worth $271 million), nine projects in FY 2018 ($247 million) and two projects in FY 2019 ($35 million).
The executive vice president of the Kansas Contractors Association, Bob Totten, is worried that KDOT won’t be able to revive these projects in the future. …
Totten cited Kansas companies — such as Topeka-based Koss Construction and Venture Corp. in Great Bend — that have looked for jobs outside the state when KDOT has canceled projects in the past.
According to Totten, $2.7 billion has been swept from KDOT to the state general fund over the past six years.
If the past year is any indication, Totten is right about the harmful effects of KDOT sweeps on the construction industry in our state. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, between July 2015 and July 2016, Kansas lost 4,400 construction jobs — a 7.3 percent decline. This means Kansas ranked 49th in the country for construction job growth. …
(Excerpt) Read more at gctelegram.com ...
Is the article saying that Governor Brownback has halted needed highway projects for other state spending?
140,000 miles of roads is a lot for such a small state. Alaska has maybe two percent of that amount in roads.
Almost the whole of Kansas is agricultural and surveyed of into sections -- or square mmiles. There is a dirt or gravel "country" road down virtually every section line.
Makes for a lot of road miles, but costs little in terms of maintenance and construction.
“140,000 miles of public roads”
Much of that is probably county roads which should be payed for by the county.
Midwest ag states all have a lot of roads for their population. The heritage of needing farm-to-market roads. States like Iowa have huge areas where roads on all four sides of each square mile aren’t at all unusual.
[States like Iowa have huge areas where roads on all four sides of each square mile aren’t at all unusual.]
That’s how KS is.
As for the rest, good. I’m sick of all the major road construction projects. They are everywhere right now. I can’t go anywhere without fighting road construction. It’s ridiculous. They are constantly fixing roads that are in no need of fixing.
It kinda sounds that way. KDOT is delaying some of them at the least.
Road construction projects yield campaign contributions and worse. That’s why cheap blacktop roads that need major work every few years are preferred. Today’s concrete technology can make roads that hold up for several generations.
I learned to drive in the 70s on concrete roads built in the 1930s by the WPA and designed using slide rules.
And in 2009, I drove across a WPA built bridge while the Interstate bridges up and down stream were under water and then had to be inspected to see if the footings held up. Of course, as soon as they could line up funding the Georgia DOT started working to rip out the old bridge so they wouldn't be embarrassed again. The fact that they created a national park around the bridge did, of course, slow things down.
The engineering company I used to work for (I am now retired), worked in several surrounding States. This kind of thing was done in all of them.
Pretty much, yeah.
This probably explains why our damn personal property tax on vehicles is the highest in the country. And why so many Kansas residents tag out of state to evade said tax.
We used to live in Kansas and I hated to see the tax statements arrive in December. Had two kids so we had four cars, a camper and a boat. Of course, in exchange for our tax dollars we had an awesome Johnson County school system which seemed to be totally funded by the personal property tax.
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