K-254 Corridor Development Association

03/27/2025

Congratulations to the City of El Dorado, Kansas Municipal Government, winner of the Best Tasting Water in Kansas Award from the Kansas Rural Water Association!

03/25/2025

This is great news for the region!

We are thrilled to announce that a new Amazon last-mile delivery station is coming to Sunflower Commerce Park in Bel Aire. These types of facilities typically create more than 100 direct and indirect job opportunities and will serve thousands of customers across Sedgwick County and beyond. Construction on the 176,000 square-foot station is set to begin soon, with completion anticipated by late 2025. Read the full release at: belaireks.gov/amazon.

07/03/2024

Call for volunteers…. If you (or someone you know) are interested in serving on the Marketing & Communications Committee for the K254 Corridor Development Association, please send a PM. This new committee will be forming soon and will target an August meeting!

05/29/2024

05/22/2024

WAMPO will be hosting the second round of public information meetings on June 5, 2024 for the Regional Transit Study. We invite you to attend any of the three meetings to be held in-person (2 meetings) or virtually (1 meeting). Please see the attached flyer for meeting times, format and meeting content.

Wednesday, June 5th
10am-11:30am Goddard Pathway Church
2:00pm-3:0pm Online
5:30pm-7:00pm Bel Aire City Hall

05/21/2024

Heartland Flyer Update

A lot has happened since our last communication, December 2023. This was right after the Heartland Flyer Extension was selected by the Federal Railroad Administration for development. Since then, we have been very busy in the Kansas legislature with the entry of our operational support bill, known as SB 349 which was read into the Senate Ways & Means Committee in early January. Many long hours were spent at the Capitol, from January to early April communicating with legislators about the importance of the bill, and the idea behind its interest-only funding concept. Below is a chronology of events, but the most important piece of information is that the Passenger Rail Revolving Fund (created in 2010, and Sponsored by Senator Dick Kelsey and Representative Ty Masterson) has finally received funding ($5M). The legislation that created the Revolving Fund in 2010 can be found here:

https://www.northernflyeralliance.com/ewExternalFiles/Kansas%20Statute%2075-5089.pdf

BACKGROUND on SB 349: We confirmed with KDOT in 2023 that legislation would be required for operation of the train. We also confirmed that the Kansas IKE Transportation Plan would be able to handle all planning and construction of the Heartland Flyer Extension (“HFE”) with a federal match. The idea of the bill was to set aside $5M per year for 10 years such that at the end of that period interest alone would pay for the operation of the train.

2024 Legislative Session Overview:

SB 349: In January 2024, Legislation introduced - designed to fund the operation of the Heartland Flyer Extension with interest only.

-Feb 15, 2024: Senate Final Action on SB 349 Passed; Yea: 34 Nay: 6

-Feb 19, 2024: Introduced into the House, referred to Committee on Transportation

-March 21, 2024: Withdrawn from Committee on Transportation, Referred to Committee on Judiciary

-March 25, 2024: House Committee Report "recommending substitute bill be passed" (referred to as Gut-N-Go); (the substitute bill removed all language to support funding rail, then the Judiciary Committee passed the substitute bill).

-March 27, 2024 House Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted recommending substitute bill (gutted bill) be passed

-March 27, 2024: House Emergency Final Action - Substitute passed; Yea: 114 Nay: 8. (This vote belies the overwhelming support we received from individual legislators.)

-April 1, 2024: Senate Nonconcurred with the removal of rail funding language (disagreed with House Gut-N-Go action); Senate requested Conference Committee; appointed Senator Warren, Senator Wilborn, and Senator Corson as conferees.

-April 1, 2024: House Motion to accede adopted (House agreed to Conference Committee process on gutted passenger rail funding bill); Representative Humphries, Representative Lewis and Representative Osman appointed as conferees.

-April 5, 2024: Senate Concurred (agreed) with amendments (Gut-N-Go) in conference; Yea: 35 Nay: 0 (Senate disagreement with Gut-N-Go was no longer necessary as Senate included passenger rail funding elsewhere.)
End of SB 349

SB 514: A big thank you goes to the leadership of the Senate Ways & Means Committee and the long time Rail Caucus Chair, newly retired Senator Carolyn McGinn, as SB 349 lived on in SB 514, which included a $5M transfer from the State Highway Fund to the Revolving Fund, a never-before-funded account that is specifically dedicated to Passenger Rail Program Funding passed in 2010 and part of the Passenger Rail Program Act, 75-5089.

-March 13, 2024: Senate Committee of the Whole, Mega-budget bill recommended to be passed as amended (included first ever funding of $5M for passenger rail Revolving Fund in Budget Year 2025) and referred to House Committee on Appropriations.

-March 14, 2024: Senate Final Action, Mega-budget bill (with passenger rail funding) passed as amended: Yea: 24 Nay: 15

-March 19, 2024: Received and Introduced in House, referred to Committee on Appropriations
(See March 21 - April 5 above for House Leadership response to Senate's mega-budget bill)

-April 25, 2024: Joint Conference Committee (House and Senate) approved $5M for passenger rail in fiscal year 2025, subject to Finance Council approval

-April 2024 meeting with KDOT, held at KDOT Headquarters. Outcome as follows:

1) We are to re-establish regular Team meetings with Project Managers at KDOT and ODOT.
2) KDOT is currently going through a Service Develop Plan grant process (reimbursement from FRA).
3) KDOT will ask ODOT for a partnership on the Economic Impact Study that ODOT has hired KPMG to complete. The outcome of this study will be significantly different from the Benefit Cost Analysis that KDOT will produce along with the new Service Development Plan.
4) Since the viability/feasibility of the Heartland Flyer Extension was determined long ago, KDOT will begin refencing the Service Development Plan as the "Road Map" for development instead.
5) The Northern Flyer Alliance, Inc. will receive a preview prior to public distribution of the SDP.
6) Since some public officials are incorrectly referring to the Service Development Plan as an EIS (Economic Impact Study) KDOT will reach out to clarify. KDOT is having a Benefit Cost Analysis performed along with the SDP. An Economic Impact Study is wholly different.
7) After the SDP roll-out, KDOT will collaborate with us on legislation for next year.

05/17/2024

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the second round of community engagement for the Wichita Transit Network Plan. Your participation and feedback are vital in shaping the future of Wichita Transit.

**What We Need Your Help With:**

1. Provide Feedback on Draft Route Concepts:
We invite you to review and share your thoughts on the draft route concepts created by our team. Your input will play a crucial role in refining and finalizing the transit network plan. The survey will remain open until May 31, 2024.

Survey Link
https://www.research.net/r/WichitaTransitPlan

Here is a link to the collector that allows multiple responses:
https://www.research.net/r/WichitaTransitSurveyMultiple

Survey in Spanish
https://www.research.net/r/WichitaTransitEncuesta


2. Spread the Word:
Help us reach a wider audience by sharing the survey link with your network and encouraging others to participate. Together, we can gather diverse perspectives that reflect the needs and preferences of our community.

**Why Your Feedback Matters:**
Your insights and feedback directly impact the development of a transit network that caters to the unique needs of Wichita residents. By participating, you contribute to creating a more efficient and accessible transportation system for everyone.

03/19/2024

Thanks to all who attended the K-254 Corridor Development Association meeting! Great crowd, meaningful conversation, and impactful results!!

03/08/2024

Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed today announced the addition of 17 highway modernization and expansion projects a total investment of $932 million – to the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program’s (IKE) Development Pipeline. IKE is the Kelly administration’s bipartisan 10-year, $10 billion transportation program.

03/04/2024

The next K254 meeting will be held on March 15th, 2024, from 11:30 to 1:00 at the Benton Community Center located at 154 S. Main, Benton, KS.

07/03/2023

Were you unable to attend the public meeting, but have thoughts on the K-254 Corridor Management Plan? Then visit the plan website at https://www.publicinput.com/k254plan. There is a section, “Opinion Survey”, where you can answer questions and indicate on a map where issues and opportunities are.

The Kansas Department of Transportation is developing a corridor management plan for K-254 in Sedgwick and Butler counties. The area includes 22 miles of K-254 from Wichita on the west to El Dorado on the east (and within 1 mile of the highway). The goal of the K-254 Corridor Management Plan is to establish future land development and an access management approach that serves the communities while keeping traffic moving efficiently and safely.

The Kansas Department of Transportation is developing a corridor management plan for K-254 in Sedgwick and Butler counties. The area includes 22 miles of K-254 from Wichita on the west to El Dorado on the east (and within 1 mile of the highway). The goal of the K-254 Corridor Management Plan is to e...

06/28/2023

KSN TV, Thanks for coming out last night cover the first public meeting for the K-254 Corridor Management Plan!

KDOT is planning an expansion of K-254 from Wichita to El Dorado.

06/27/2023

It’s a great turnout for the first public meeting for the K-254 Corridor Management Plan! Three more public meetings will be planned over the next 18 months. We appreciate all the community input and hope to see even more people at the next event!

06/26/2023

Don't forget! Tomorrow night is the first public meeting for the K-254 Corridor Management Plan. We hope to see you at 5:30 pm at Circle Middle School. Your input matters!

Tell your family, friends, and neighbors: KDOT’s holding a public meeting for the K-254 Corridor Management Plan on June 27. It’ll be in the Commons Area of Circle Middle School (14697 SW 20th Street in Benton, KS) from 5:30 to 7 p.m. A presentation will be given at 5:45 p.m. https://conta.cc/43PtEMY

06/19/2023

We want to hear your input! We hope to see you all on Tuesday, June 27 at Circle Middle School!

K-254 Corridor Management Plan public meeting set for June 27. https://bit.ly/3CtIm0e

06/14/2023

Attend the first public meeting for the K-254 Corridor Management Plan on Tuesday, June 27 from 5:30 - 7:00 pm at Circle Middle School. The Kansas Department of Transportation is looking for your input during this planning process to determine the future of the project and how it will best serve the community.

06/12/2023

The modern world operates online – which makes it incredibly important to ensure everyone has access to reliable broadband internet. Don’t let Kansas fall behind. Take the quick speed test at broadbandks.com to help develop decide where infrastructure resources need to be upgraded.

02/24/2023

The City of Bel Aire hosted the bi-monthly meeting of the K-254 CDA. City Manager, Ty Lasher, and Andrew Nave, Executive Vice President of Economic Development for the Greater Wichita Partnership, provided an overview of the Integra Technologies expansion project and its potential impact on the K-254 Corridor.