Governor Kelly Announces Over $13.7M for Infrastructure Projects Across Kansas

Lucas Kenney
Jun 11
4 min read

Office of the Governor

Governor Laura Kelly has announced 18 Kansas communities have secured over $13.7 million in federal and state funding for airport and energy grid resilience improvement projects.

The awards include over $10.1 million in federal Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (IIJA) funding and over $3.6 million in matching funds from the Kansas Infrastructure Hub and Build Kansas Fund. Combined with over $165,000 in local contributions, the total investment in Kansas for this round of infrastructure grants is more than $13.9 million.

“Kansas' commitment to investing in critical infrastructure has helped create opportunities to secure additional funding and advance projects that benefit communities statewide,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “These investments are about more than strengthening infrastructure; they are about improving quality of life, supporting economic opportunity, and building a stronger future for our state.”

The Kansas Infrastructure Hub connects multiple state agencies and serves as a resource center for Kansas communities to identify best practices for maximizing IIJA and other federal and state funding opportunities. The Build Kansas Fund provides state matching dollars for projects throughout Kansas that successfully apply for federal grants under IIJA.

In total, the Build Kansas Fund has provided the required non-federal match dollars for 92 federal grants across Kansas. The combined total investment by the Build Kansas Fund for all projects is over $51.28 million, which has resulted in federal grant awards of more than $161 million returning to the state of Kansas.

“These awards demonstrate the Kansas Infrastructure Hub’s commitment to supporting improvements across multiple sectors and ensuring communities of all sizes can compete successfully for federal funding opportunities,” Shawn Wesner, Executive Director of the Kansas Infrastructure Hub, said. “Through the support of the Kansas Legislature and Governor Kelly, we are bringing together federal, state and local funding to make strategic investments that will strengthen our state infrastructure and support communities for years to come.”

By helping secure investments in both airport infrastructure and energy grid resilience, the Hub continues to advance a comprehensive approach to infrastructure development that strengthens transportation networks, enhances energy reliability, and promotes long-term economic growth throughout Kansas.

“The City of Glen Elder is a rural North Central Kansas town with a population of 363. Glen Elder, like so many other small towns in Kansas, is run with a tight budget. The city was in dire need of replacing old, highly sun-faded, and hard-to-read electric meters on homes and businesses. However, the budget did not allow the city to purchase all the meters outright without the matching funds from the Build Kansas Fund. The city is extremely grateful for the Section 40101(d) Second Round Grant and the matching Build Kansas Funds which allowed Glen Elder to purchase new Itron radio-read electric meters,” Jerri Senger, Glen Elder City Clerk, said.

The Kansas projects receiving funding are:

City of Ness City – Airport Apron Expansion
- Build Kansas Funding - $5,500
- Federal Funding Awarded - $110,000
- Applicant Contribution - $289
  - Total Project - $115,789

City of Ottawa – Airport Taxiway Construction
- Build Kansas Funding - $29,250
- Federal Funding Awarded - $585,000
- Applicant Contribution - $1,540
  - Total Project - $615,790

City of Clay Center – Airport Hangar Project
- Build Kansas Funding - $13,320
- Federal Funding Awarded - $266,385
- Applicant Contribution - $701
  - Total Project - $280,406

City of Junction City – Airfield Obstruction Removal
- Build Kansas Funding - $15,200
- Federal Funding Awarded - $304,000
- Applicant Contribution - $800
  - Total Project - $320,000

City of Hays – Airport Runway Reconstruction
- Build Kansas Funding - $65,302
- Federal Funding Awarded - $1,306,044
- Applicant Contribution - $3,437
  - Total Project - $1,374,783

City of Cawker City – Power Pole Maintenance & Repair
- Build Kansas Funding - $37,935
- Federal Funding Awarded - $82,618
- Applicant Contribution - $1,997
  - Total Project - $122,550

Sumner County Electric Cooperative – Transmission Pole Replacement
- Build Kansas Funding - $260,997
- Federal Funding Awarded - $568,416
- Applicant Contribution - $13,737
  - Total Project - $843,150

Wheatland Electric Cooperative – Pole Replacement & Undergrounding
- Build Kansas Funding - $417,556
- Federal Funding Awarded - $909,378
- Applicant Contribution - $21,977
  - Total Project - $1,348,911

City of Beloit – Pole Replacement
- Build Kansas Funding - $209,070
- Federal Funding Awarded - $455,326
- Applicant Contribution - $11,004
  - Total Project - $675,400

City of Glen Elder – Meter Updates
- Build Kansas Funding - $10,818
- Federal Funding Awarded - $23,560
- Applicant Contribution - $569
  - Total Project - $34,947

City of Bronson – Grid Updates
- Build Kansas Funding - $125,523
- Federal Funding Awarded - $273,371
- Applicant Contribution - $6,606
  - Total Project - $405,500

City of Jetmore – Pole Replacement
- Build Kansas Funding - $169,268
- Federal Funding Awarded - $368,643
- Applicant Contribution - $8,909
  - Total Project - $546,820

Brown Atchison Electric Cooperative - Pole Replacement
- Build Kansas Funding - $395,106
- Federal Funding Awarded - $860,484
- Applicant Contribution - $20,795
  - Total Project - $1,276,385

Bluestem Electric – Powerline Replacement
- Build Kansas Funding - $383,216
- Federal Funding Awarded - $834,590
- Applicant Contribution - $20,169
  - Total Project - $1,237,975

Doniphan Electric Cooperative – Rebuild Substation
- Build Kansas Funding - $541,713
- Federal Funding Awarded - $1,179,775
- Applicant Contribution - $28,512
  - Total Project - $1,750,000

Flint Hills Rural Electric Cooperative – Pole & Line Replacement
- Build Kansas Funding - $459,167
- Federal Funding Awarded - $1,000,000
- Applicant Contribution - $24,166
  - Total Project - $1,483,333