TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced on Wednesday more than $8.8 million from the Kansas High-Risk Rural Roads (HRRR) Program will go to 19 rural counties to improve the safety and efficiency of roads and local roadways.  

“These investments will keep roads in rural areas safe and easy to travel, something that’s essential to supporting local businesses and making life better for Kansas families,” Governor Kelly said.

The HRRR program is a federally funded initiative designed to improve safety on rural roads through state and local partnerships. This year’s 19 HRRR projects were selected from 50 applications seeking $30.3 million in federal funds. Kansas HRRR funds cover 90-100 percent of the total project cost, with the counties making up the difference if necessary.

“Local agencies often do not have the resources needed to adequately address safety problems on the roads they own and operate,” said Acting Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed. “Working together provides opportunities for communities to strengthen their local road network to improve connections across the state.” 

Projects in this program fall into one of two categories: Systemic (encompassing a local roadway network) or Site Specific. Projects in the Systemic category are 100% federally funded, and Site Specific projects are 90% federally funded. 

The distribution of the $8,809,000 in HRRR funds for area counties is listed below. Funds are for Federal Fiscal Year 2025:

Barton, Systemic, $171,000 - Upgrade signing on all major collectors in the southwest quadrant of the county.

Ellsworth, Systemic, $345,000 - Upgrade signing on all major collectors west of K-156 in the county.

Pratt, Systemic, $420,000 - Install 6-inch white edge lines on 71 miles of major collectors and local roads east of U.S. 281.

Rice, Systemic, $243,000 - Upgrade signing on 59 miles of major collectors west of K-14 and south of U.S. 56 in the county.