Little Florence wins big bucks

By JUDD WEIL

Staff writer

Florence won $1.275 million for downtown streetscape and pedestrian safety improvements, an unusually large grant for the small Marion County community.

The award was among $37.2 million in federal funding announced Monday by Governor Laura Kelly for 33 projects across the state.

Exactly what improvements Florence plans and how much the city will have to contribute were unclear Tuesday. City and KDOT officials could not be reached before press time.

In general, such grants typically require a 20% local share, which would be $255,000 in Florence’s case.

Florence’s project is listed by KDOT as “downtown streetscape and pedestrian safety improvements.”

The city’s $1.275 million grant is among the larger grants awarded in this round of KDOT’s Transportation Alternatives program.

It exceeds individual awards to projects in considerably larger communities, including El Dorado, Emporia, Eudora, Junction City, along with two in Lawrence.

Council Grove received slightly more, $1.323 million, for the second phase of a safe routes to school project.

Florence was the only Marion County community awarded money in the latest round.

However, they were not the first.

Marion was granted $715,904 for a four-block downtown streetscape project.

Hillsboro was granted $525,100 in 2024 for its Orchard Drive hiking and biking trail.

Transportation Alternatives money is intended for projects that make walking, bicycling, and other non-motorized transportation safer and more accessible.

Eligible projects include pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, converting abandoned railroad corridors into trails, safe routes to school projects, preservation and rehabilitation of historic transportation facilities, and scenic and environmental improvements.

KDOT evaluated 40 applications during the latest funding cycle and selected 33.

Projects were evaluated based on safety measures, demonstrated need and readiness, population and geographic distribution, according to KDOT. The department also considered information from a tool assessing road user safety.

An additional $6 million from the Highway Safety Improvement Program was invested in this round of projects.

The next round of Transportation Alternatives applications is expected to open in spring 2028.