City of Wichita 455 N. Main Wichita, KS 67202

Joint Legislative Transportation Vision Task Force Meeting October 18, 2018 Wichita, City of Wichita Transportation Priorities Submitted by Department of Public Works & Utilities Gary Janzen, P.E., City Engineer

Dear Sen. McGinn, Rep. Richard Proehl and members of the Joint Legislative Task Force, Wichita is the largest city in Kansas and Sedgwick County is the second-largest county in Kansas by population. The 2018 estimated Wichita metro population is expected to approach 650,000. Wichita is the regional center of business, education and healthcare for the South-Central Kansas Region of ten rural and urban counties that comprise 27% of the state’s population. The Wichita area is a market center that has grown tremendously due to its regional, national and international trade in aviation, agricultural and petroleum products. A few of its largest employers include Spirit Aerosystems, Koch Industries and McConnell Air Force Base. The city is a major trucking hub due to its high concentration of manufacturing and role as a regional marketing center. Sixteen national and regional interstate common carriers have local terminal facilities in the Wichita area. The illustration below shows the primary corridors for freight and commerce: I-135, which runs north-south, and US-54/400 (Kellogg), which runs east-west. Highlighted on the map are the locations of the City of Wichita’s transportation priorities. On behalf of the City of Wichita Area Map Wichita, we provide this Project Locations letter of testimony to the 2018 Joint Legislative Task North Junction Force for submittal of our K-96 transportation priorities

along with our support for 35

1 - other transportation I East US-54/400 projects in the South- US-54/400 & I-235 Central Kansas region. West US-54/400 US-54/400 (Kellogg) We appreciate your efforts as you travel across the State to gather input directly from the stakeholders and partners.

C I T Y  O F  W I C H I T A - 2 North Junction (I-135/I-235/K-96/K-254) – Gold Phase The North Junction is where four highways–, , Kansas 96 and Kansas 254– combine to provide freight generators, area residents and travelers with safe and timely access to jobs, amenities and markets throughout the south-central region of the state. The efficiency and effectiveness of this economic hub is severely challenged in safely delivering nationally important aviation, agricultural, petroleum and manufactured goods due to growing congestion on a facility handling nearly four times as much traffic as it was designed to accommodate. North Junction is locally and regionally significant for helping make Wichita and Sedgwick County one of the largest metro areas and business hubs in Kansas. The was designed to accommodate projected traffic volumes for 1975. Congestion is worsening as the local economy continues to grow with expansions by Koch Industries, Spirit AeroSystems and others. Daily traffic will grow more than 78 percent by 2050 to a projected 160,000 vehicles and 16,000 trucks – nearly 6.5 times the anticipated volume for this highway system. The interchange is along the most heavily used freight corridor in Kansas according to the 2014 Truck Density map, which shows more than 24 million tons of freight per year utilizing the I-135 facility. Businesses in the south-central region of the state depend on reliable service from the North Junction and its linkages to and from , the only Midwest interstate corridor in North America to connect Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Commercial traffic also routes through the interchange to access major east-west interstates such as I-70 to the north and I-40 to the south. KDOT has completed design for the first (Green) phase of overall improvements and anticipates bidding the project for construction in early 2019. The Green phase will replace aging bridge structures and add capacity to I-235 to compliment future interchange improvements. However, it does not address the operational and safety problems within the core of the interchange itself. C I T Y  O F  W I C H I T A - 3 The second (Gold) phase will improve safety and efficiency within the interchange itself by decreasing crashes and congestion. The project provides a considerable return on investment with a benefit cost analysis ratio of 5.68. KDOT and an engineering consultant are currently developing plans to 50% completion. The City of Wichita and Sedgwick County have partnered to begin right-of-way acquisitions. Needs for the Gold Phase include completion of design, funding for remaining right-of-way, and funding for construction. The City of Wichita and Sedgwick County submitted a joint application for BUILD grant funding in the summer of 2018. The plan is to submit an application for INFRA grant funding when the next opportunity is announced. The project has received letters of support and formal backing by KDOT, Kansas Freight Advisory Committee, Regional Economic Area Partnership (REAP), Kansas’ congressional delegation, the Governor, Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce, ten cities and two counties. More information about the North Junction and the Gold Phase is presented in the testimony from Sedgwick County.

Passenger Rail – Heartland Flyer Extension (Northern Flyer) Wichita continues to express emphatic support for passenger rail service through expansion of the Heartland Flyer service from to Newton, with service in Wichita. The route would connect the metropolitan areas of Dallas/Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Wichita and Kansas City–more than ten million persons in all–with a direct link of passenger rail service that is currently unavailable. Support for the extension of the Heartland Flyer has been expressed by 49 cities, 6 counties and 19 Chambers of Commerce along the I-35 corridor stretching from Kansas City to Fort Worth. The availability of business and recreational travel to utilize the new connection would have a positive economic impact on the state and local communities served along the route, which is enhanced by the ability for business travel to remain productive during travel time. A University of Kansas study found an after-tax economic benefit for the state of more than 3:1 (northernflyeralliance.com). The City of Newton presented oral and written testimony and the City of Wichita presented written testimony for this project at the Joint Legislative Transportation Vision Task Force meeting in Newton on October 4, 2018.

US-54/400 (Kellogg) background: Wichita is the largest metropolitan area along Interstate 35 without a completed east-west freeway to provide essential connectivity for freight and the region as a whole. In 1985, Sedgwick County citizens voted to increase the local sales tax to improve the US-54/400 highway to freeway standards with controlled access and grade-separated interchanges. To date, the City of Wichita has invested approximately $600 million in design, right-of-way and construction. This has resulted in the conversion of 13 miles of US-54/400 to a 6-lane freeway, which has accommodated continued regional growth and crucial freight movements. Currently, KDOT is improving the US-54/400 and I-235 Interchange on the west side of Wichita, and the City is improving two and a half miles of US- 54/400 on the east side, including new connections to the Authority (KTA/I-35). These projects are partially funded by KDOT’s TWORKS program. US-54/400 links Wichita to Goddard on the west and Andover on the east, but continues across the state in both directions to countless rural communities and farmers – providing indispensable movement of state and interstate commerce. C I T Y  O F  W I C H I T A - 4 West US-54/400 (Kellogg), 119th & 135th Street Interchanges The last improvements on west Kellogg provided interchanges at Tyler and Maize and extended the freeway past Maize Road. West Wichita and Goddard continue to experience growth, increasing the

demand for freight and access to jobs.

th

st

th

119

151 135

US-54/400 (Kellogg) Maize

The City of Wichita has acquired all right-of-way needed for two additional miles of freeway with interchanges at 119th and 135th Streets West. In 2014, frontage roads between 119th and 151st were constructed with KDOT Corridor Management Funds. Design of the remaining mainline freeway improvements and interchanges will be completed in early 2019. With design nearly complete and all right-of-way purchased, this project is virtually shovel-ready.

East US-54/400 (Kellogg), K-96 to east of Andover Rd Current East US-54/400 (Kellogg) improvements will remove four traffic signals, making 143rd Street East the first signalized intersection that eastbound freeway traffic encounters. A level of service “F” for an intersection begins when delays exceed 60 seconds. The Kellogg and 143rd intersection already experiences high delays. After the current improvements on East Kellogg are completed, delays are expected to exceed 220 seconds – resulting in a level of service almost four times worse than “F”. While only the section from K-96 to 159th Street East is within city limits, the City of Wichita supports the entirety of this project, which extends into Butler County and the City of Andover. More information about the East US-54/400 improvements is presented in the testimony from the City of Andover.

US-54/400 (Kellogg) & I-235 – Blue Phase Improvements are currently being made to the US-54/400 (Kellogg) and I-235 interchange with the first phase (Red Project) that replaces two clover leafs with flyover ramps. The next phase (Blue Project) removes freeway traffic from the remaining two clover leafs by adding the final two flyover ramps. Without this next phase, traffic movements in the interchange begin to fail by 2020.

K-96, Hillside to Greenwich The four-lane segment of K-96, from Hillside to Greenwich, is already at capacity due to considerable growth along the corridor. Recent development in northeast Wichita, in particular at North Greenwich Road, continues to increase demand on the facility – resulting in the need to improve this section of K-96 to six lanes.

Thank you for your time in reviewing these transportation priorities for the City of Wichita. Sincerely,

Gary Janzen, P.E. City Engineer/Assistant Director City of Wichita South Central Kansas Transportation Map

- T-WORKS delayed Projects - City of Wichita - K-96 Corridor Development - K-254 Corridor Development - Kingman County Development - City of Derby - City of El Dorado - City of Newton - Potential Projects City of Wichita Transportation Priorities: • North Junction – Gold Phase • Passenger Rail – Heartland Flyer • West US-54/400 (Kellogg) • East US-54/400 (Kellogg) • US-54/400 (Kellogg) & I-235 – Blue Phase 135 • K-96, Hillside to Greenwich 54 North Junction (I-135/I-235/K-96/K-254)

135

54 North Junction Green Phase – 2019 Gold Phase – No date Purple Phase – No date North Junction – Gold Phase – Addresses existing and future failures in the interchange – Design to 50%

– Beginning right-of-way – Funding needed for completion of design, right-of-way and construction

Passenger Rail Heartland Flyer Extension

US-54/400 (Kellogg)

135

54 West US-54/400 (West Kellogg)

135

54

To Goddard and Kingman 151st St W Frontage Roads (2014)

135th St W US - 54/400 (Kellogg)

119th St W Freeway Improvements (2005)

Maize Rd

East US-54/400 (East Kellogg)

135

54 To Andover Webb Rd US - 54/400 (Kellogg) I - 35 (KTA) Greenwich Rd I - 35 (KTA) US - 54/400 (Kellogg) St E St E rd th 143 159 Andover Rd Andover

Freeway Improvements US-54/400 (Kellogg)

Wichita Andover US-54/400 (Kellogg) & I-235 Blue Phase

135 235 54 Current Red Phase 235 Completion date of 2019

54 All Phases 235

54 K-96, Hillside to Greenwich

96

135

54 North Junction Greenwich 96 Development K-96, Hillside to Greenwich

135 Thank You!

City of Wichita Priority: North Junction Gold Phase