Holton receives $2.1M for sidewalk project

A proposed sidewalk project along U.S. Highway 75 in Holton will receive more than $2 million in state funds through the Transportation Alternatives (TA) grant program, administered by the Kansas Department of Transportation and provided by the Federal Highway Administration, it has been reported.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday announced the award of $2,115,513 in TA grant funds for the U.S. 75 sidewalk project, one of 31 projects receiving a total of about $31.5 million in funds “to create safer, more walkable and bike-friendly routes” through the program.

The TA grant was one of two KDOT-administered grants that the City of Holton applied for earlier this year for construction of a sidewalk along the west side of Arizona Avenue — U.S. 75 — from Banner Road to Sixth Street in Holton. The city also sought funds through a KDOT-administered Highway Safety Improvement Program grant for construction of the sidewalk.

“The City of Holton is absolutely thrilled to be selected as a recipient of this grant,” Holton City Manager Teresa Riley said of the grant announcement. “This proposed sidewalk will provide a safe area for pedestrians and bicyclists to access the businesses on the west side of U.S. 75 and connect to the residential areas on the western side of town. Hopefully, once completed, we won’t see people walking down the center turning lane or people in wheelchairs going down the edge of the highway. The whole point of the project is to keep our citizens safer.”

Riley also noted that in conjunction with the sidewalk project, the city requested a KDOT traffic study on the highway as it runs through the city “in hopes they can determine a good place for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross U.S. 75.” KDOT has approved the study and completed most of it, she added, noting that the city may see a report on that study sometime in November.

The sidewalk project was first proposed in February of 2022 by Holton Middle School teacher Erika Allen, whose work with the Kansas Association for Youth (KAY) program at HMS resulted in grants for such projects as the concrete fitness path at Countryside Park and the pickleball court at Rafters Park.

Allen said she was “super excited” to learn of the TA grant award.

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