U.S. 75 expansion north of Holton gets green light from state

Plans to expand U.S. Highway 75 north of Holton to four lanes moved forward on Thursday, March 7, when Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced that those plans have been added to the Kansas Department of Transportation’s IKE Development Pipeline and that $126 million in state funds has been earmarked for the expansion project.

The plan to expand U.S. 75 to a four-lane expressway between Holton’s north city limits and the junction of Kansas Highway 20 in Brown County was one of three highway projects in northeastern Kansas that will receive infrastructure investment funds totaling $186 million, Gov. Kelly said.

In announcing the award for the U.S. 75 expansion project, Gov. Kelly cited the efforts of Kansas Sen. Dennis Pyle (I-Hiawatha), who represents District 1 and who has been working to advance the project. Kelly also offered praise for community leaders and area residents for actively advocating for the expansion.

“Thanks to Sen. Dennis Pyle’s consistent championing of the U.S. 75 expansion project, we are one step closer to making this much-needed improvement possible,” Gov. Kelly said. “That project and the others announced today tackle long-standing transportation needs across the state – improving safety, expanding economic development opportunities and strengthening our communities.”

Sen. Pyle also expressed gratitude that the U.S. 75 expansion project would be moving forward.

“The successful community efforts to raise awareness of transportation needs along the U.S. 75 corridor in northeast Kansas makes us all proud,” said Sen. Pyle. “The addition of this expansion project to the IKE Development Pipeline is an important step toward enhancing the safety of a vital corridor for commerce and the traveling public it serves.”

The four-lane expansion project on U.S. 75 between Holton and the K-20 junction was ranked as a “high priority” in online discussions held last October where residents of District 1, which includes Jackson County and other parts of northeastern Kansas, were invited to give input on projects proposed as part of KDOT’s 2023 Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE), it was reported.

That particular section of U.S. 75 was cited for safety concerns in reference to traffic accidents in the area, school and student traffic from the Jackson Heights school district and traffic in the vicinity of Holton Community Hospital and Holton Industrial Park.

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