Kansas T-Link

The Garden City Telegram
Published 9/12/2008

ULYSSES -- More than 80 people gathered Thursday in Ulysses to pitch road projects they'd like to see happen in southwest Kansas and hear comments from members of the Transportation-Leveraging Investments in Kansas Task Force, which is developing recommendations for the next comprehensive transportation plan in Kansas.

The Ulysses meeting was the start of a series of eight consultation meetings the Kansas Department of Transportation planned to allow for regional discussion on highway and other modal needs, including rail, aviation, transit and bike/pedestrian, and then for various community members to testify about specific projects and concerns. Today's meeting was in Hays.

Meetings continue next week in Abilene, Topeka, Olathe, Hutchinson, Pittsburg and Wichita. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius announced in August the creation of T-LINK. In a release, she stated, "We know transportation is critical to seizing economic opportunities and creating jobs to stimulate our economy. With our state's 10-year transportation program coming to an end, now is
the time to begin planning for the future to ensure we keep our infrastructure in good shape and put our state in position for economic growth."

A regional view

Garden City and Finney County representatives have been preparing for Thursday's meeting, compiling a list of projects they feel would not only benefit the immediate area but also southwest Kansas and western Kansas as a whole.

On Tuesday, during the city commission meeting, City Manager Matt Allen said the reality of whatever transportation plan is developed is that it will fall "woefully short" of the needs that
exist. The needs are plenty, he said, with inadequate funding to meet them.

To ensure some of the area's needs are met, he said, area cities and counties are attempting to take more of a regional approach on a narrow group of transportation issues and projects they'd
like to see eventually occur.

City Commissioner Reynaldo Mesa said that if those in the area don't come together, "we're going to struggle to get our things done out here."

"It's going to be tough as a region," Commissioner Nancy Harness said. "It's going to be impossible as an individual city."

So on Thursday, Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce President Paul Joseph testified to TLINK members, reading from a list of projects he and others would like to see for the region:

support and funding to four-lane U.S. Highway 50/400 from Mullinville to Garden City, starting on the stretch between Garden City and Dodge City.

widening of U.S. Highway 83 north to I-70, including passing lanes.

state support and funding for public transit and local road improvement, as well as legislative creation of rural Metropolitan Planning Organizations.

support and development of Garden City Regional Airport as the regional airport for southwest Kansas.

maintaining funding levels to local partnership projects.

obtaining Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad's agreement to develop rail infrastructure in and around Garden City, including "double-tracking" the rail lines, which usually involves
running one track in each direction.

KDOT's last round of meetings

KDOT held a series of meetings in 2006 to gather input on another possible transportation plan for the state.

Garden City Mayor David Crase and City Public Works Director Sam Curran attended that meeting, as well as Thursday's meeting. Crase said KDOT representatives are listening and gathering input, "but what they do with it remains to be seen."

One thing, though, both Crase and Curran have seen come from the meetings is an effort by communities to think more on a regional scale.

"That's a good part of these meetings," Curran said.

Now, with the state still paying for the transportation plan set to end in 2009 and looking at what to include and how to fund those projects in the next plan, Crase said it'll have to be a regional effort vs. individual projects to stand a chance at being included in the plan.

On Thursday, KDOT staff also gathered input on funding options communities would like to see for the new plan. Curran said one of the last comments during the 2006 meeting was that funding is critical for the plan -- but no one wanted to discuss it at the time, he said.

That was different Thursday, with KDOT staff passing out a sheet asking for input on what funding sources -- increasing registration fees, state sales tax, state motor fuels tax, more
developer fees, etc. -- people would like to fund the next Long Range Transportation Plan.

In 2006, the top-five funding sources favored in southwest Kansas were increasing motor fuels taxes, then registration fees on vehicles, sales taxes on vehicles, tax on vehicle weight and toll
roads.

Curran would like to see a funding source that will allow the state to pay as it goes through the plan, instead of adding more debt.

Testimony

Joseph, Finney County Commissioner Cliff Mayo, Finney County Transit Director Bonnie Burgardt and City Engineer Steve Cottrell testified before the T-LINK committee Thursday.

Cottrell said that from an economic development standpoint, cities and counties are continually competing with one another for industry and other development, and KDOT has been unable to help quickly when various improvements are needed. He said he'd like to see discretionary funds included in the plan for helping communities with road and other improvements related to economic development.

There needs to be an interstate highway in southwest Kansas, Mayo told the task force. He said he's heard comments before that western Kansas contributes nothing to the state's economy. Not
true, he said, adding southwest Kansas needs four-lane highways and road infrastructure to support the feedyards, oil/gas, ethanol and other industry that helps the state's economy.

Mayo said the area's been neglected by the state as far as help with transportation.

Mayo would like to see KDOT include economic impact vs. simply population as a factor in prioritizing projects.

"We don't have a lot of people out here, but we have a lot of money," he said.

A different picture

KDOT spokeswoman Julie Lorenz spoke to the group, explaining that when the last transportation plan started in 1999, gas was about $1 a gallon, debt was less, inflation was steady, the economy was robust, and asphalt was plentiful.

It's a different picture now, she said. Taking the changes over time into account as the task force develops recommendations for a new plan, T-LINK is charged with "a commitment to keep our roads and bridges safe and in good repair;" "forward thinking without relying on old business models;" and "a new approach that reflects today's realities but also creates a framework that prepares our state for the future."

Lorenz said the task force and KDOT are attempting to include economic impact in the prioritizing of future projects.

For more information on T-LINK and comments from the statewide meetings, visit www.kansastlink.com.