Kansas to begin $278 million freeway upgrade with help from federal grant

Kansas is upgrading a major freeway with the help of federal funds. The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded Kansas nearly $98 million to modernize the I-35 and Santa Fe Street corridor in Olathe, addressing critical safety and congestion issues in the fast-growing Kansas City suburb. The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant will join a mix of state funding to support the $278 million project.

The $98 million INFRA grant comes through passage of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and will be managed by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). Additional funding of $140 million comes from the state’s KDOT’s Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program and the $40 million from the City of Olathe.

The initiative targets a section of highway where the crash rate is more than 2.5 times the state average, with nearly half of all incidents being rear-end collisions at lower speeds. The upgrade will focus on eliminating bottlenecks at two key interchanges: Santa Fe Street and Old Highway 56.

The project scope includes addressing freeway access issues along Santa Fe Street, replacing outdated materials, and improving multimodal access across I-35 to better connect communities on both sides of the interstate.

The project is being implemented through KDOT’s IKE Program, a 10-year initiative addressing various transportation needs across Kansas, including highways, bridges, public transit, aviation, short-line rail, and bike/pedestrian infrastructure.

The INFRA grant program, which provided the federal funding, is designed to support multimodal freight and highway projects of national or regional significance. The program aims to improve safety, efficiency, and reliability of transportation for both freight and people across rural and urban areas.

The improvements will target the corridor between Ridgeview Road and Mur-Len Road, with construction scheduled to begin in late 2026. Construction is expected to continue through the latter part of the decade.

Photo by Benjamin White