KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt sat down with KSHB 41 News before joining Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids for a ceremonial groundbreaking in Overland Park Thursday.
Bhatt’s agency is within the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The Federal Highway Administration helps states and local governments design, build, and maintaining highways.
Bhatt spoke about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and major transportation projects underway in the region, including the 69 Express groundbreaking he attended Thursday.
69 Express
The Kansas Department of Transportation is expanding U.S. 69 Highway from 103rd to 151st streets in Overland Park.
One new lane in each direction will be part of an express toll lane system.
“There are a few things that I love about this project,” Bhatt said.
First, Bhatt appreciates safety component to the project, citing the corridor has a 53% higher crash rate than the rest of Kansas.
Bhatt believes in giving drivers' choice in whether to enter the tolled express lane or use non-tolled lanes.
And finally, Bhatt told KSHB 41 the project will support economic growth in the area.
“A huge amount of the local economy is tied to companies located in this area, which means there are workers who are going to be on this roadway,” Bhatt said. “There is a freight intermodal piece. We hear a lot about supply chain in this country.”
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Bhatt’s agency will oversee about $350 billion in federal funds through the 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Kansas will receive $2.8 billion over the next five years for bridges and highways. Missouri will receive about $7.1 billion.
“Transportation, infrastructure investment — these are things Americans really care about,” Bhatt said. “It’s this ribbon of networks that truly bind us together as a nation.”
Bhatt believes a good amount of money will go toward bridge repairs in Missouri and Kansas, which each have roughly 1,000 bridges in poor condition.
He pointed out how the law invests in electric vehicles, which pairs nicely with the Panasonic EV battery plant under construction now in DeSoto, Kansas.
“A generation from now, people will say thank goodness we made those investments” Bhatt said.
Buck O’Neil Bridge
One of Bhatt’s favorite parts of the Buck O’Neil Bridge replacement project is it accounts for bicyclists and pedestrians, unlike the current bridge.
“Just like your house, or your driveway, or your windows, or you car, it doesn’t last forever,” Bhatt said. “Taking a bridge that is 70-years-old, we’re going to build a new structure, but we’re also going to add bike and pedestrian facilities to it so it’s not just about vehicles.”
The new bridge should open in October 2024.
Expanded I-70 in Missouri
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced a $860 million proposal in January to widen Interstate 70 to three lanes in areas around Kansas City, St. Louis and Columbia. Parson’s proposal does not rely on federal funding.
“First and foremost, the people in Kansas and Missouri know best what they need from a transportation perspective,” Bhatt said.
The role of the Federal Highway Administration in a project without federal funding is to make sure local leaders follow federal guidelines for designing and building the project.
RAISE Grant to study 71 Highway in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri, received a $5 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant in August.
The grant will allow the city to study U.S. 71 Highway from 75th to 55th streets.
Leaders want to make the road safer for pedestrians and drivers who cross the highway in this very urban and residential area.
Bhatt supports reviewing how previous transportation projects may have negatively impacted communities. He says there are better and safer ways to build infrastructure today.
“What we want to understand is how do our transportation decisions affect people,” Bhatt said. “Those benefits cannot come on the backs of others. That’s all we’re saying now is let’s think about this holistically.”
—
