ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Tuesday, local leaders joined the Kansas Department of Transportation in cutting the ribbon on the latest four-lane project on U.S. Highway 54 at the weigh station east of Liberal.
After the ribbon-cutting, those on hand were invited back to the Depot for a lunch and to hear from local and state leaders about the importance of the project.
First to speak was Seward County Development Corporation Director Eli Svaty, who said the timing of the ribbon cutting was appropriate.
“It is particularly poignant how our celebration and ribbon cutting today is happening at this time of year,” he said. “We are surrounded by graduations. Everywhere we look, it’s graduations, graduations, graduations.”
Svaty explained the meaning of the word “graduation,” derived from a Latin word referring to a step.
“Gratis and graduation means ‘step,’” he said. “We talk about graduation anymore as you’ve made it, here’s your diploma, you are done. In no way was that the original origin of the word. Gratis was a step. We celebrate today this graduation of 54 as a step. We stood out there on the highway next to a railroad track that was laid in the 1880s.”
Svaty said the origins of the railroad in Seward County was just the beginning, or a step, of the county’s story.
“Our graduation today celebrates 54 and the steps we make towards the completion of that,” he said. “We are getting closer. We are gaining miles. We are eventually going to be part of this expressway in Southwest Kansas.”
Svaty praised the efforts of all who made Tuesday’s ribbon cutting possible.
“Thank you KDOT for getting us to that step, and we are excited about the many more graduations and the many more steps we have ahead of us to get us connected east and west on 54,” he said.
Next to speak was Liberal Mayor Jose Lara, and he said the Hwy. 54 project represents a milestone in community development, enhancing productivity and improving the safety and daily lives of residents.
Lara particularly praised the work of KDOT in getting Hwy. 54 upgraded.
“Your department’s unwavering support and commitment have been instrumental in bringing this project to fruition,” he said. “This highway is not just a road. It is a pathway to progress and prosperity. It symbolizes our collective vision for a brighter future and our determination to build a city that meets the needs of its people. It is a testament to what we can achieve when we work together.”
Lara expressed hope and determination to see progress continue on Hwy. 54.
“There is so much work that needs to be done, and I am committed to ensuring our city continues to grow and thrive with your ongoing support and cooperation. I am confident we can achieve even greater milestones in the years to come. Together we are building a stronger, more connected and more vibrant city.”
Kansas 125th House District Representative Shannon Francis said four laning Hwy. 54 has been the longtime mission of many.
“There are a lot of people who have lived their lives trying to get Highway 54 four-laned,” he said. “It has been a long time coming, and I do want to thank you guys for getting it done. Highway 54 is more than just Liberal. We have a four-lane across the Oklahoma Panhandle on the way to Amarillo. There’s only about 20 miles in the Texas Panhandle that aren’t four-laned.”
Francis said keeping Hwy. 54 a priority is critical to the growth of both Southwest Kansas and the state as a whole.
“Moving forward, we’ve got to remain committed to advocating for the future of four-lane expansion of Highway 54,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure we as a community support investments in transportation.”
Last to speak Tuesday was KDOT Secretary Calvin Reed, who also spoke prior to the ribbon cutting, and he said it takes teamwork to deliver projects such as the one celebrated Tuesday.
“Jack Taylor was really instrumental in driving all of these improvements and the vision for U.S.-54,” he said. “A legacy like that is something we are here to celebrate here today.”
Reed said a large amount of effort with design and construction delivers such a project.
“We had a great contractor on this project, Kost Construction,” he said. “I’d like to thank them. It takes a lot of effort to get these projects to construction. We have great staff at KDOT. I’d like to thank you all for keeping focus on this project and making it happen.”
Like Svaty, Reed said the ribbon cutting was a step in progress for Hwy. 54.
“There’s a lot left to come,” Reed said. “We have some improvements further upstream we’re going to be talking about. We’ve got improvements we’re going to be looking at towards the city of Liberal.”
Reed added the recent completed project was a promised step as part of KDOT’s former Transportation Works for Kansas, or T-WORKS, program.
“I’m so proud we were able to deliver it as part of the IKE transportation program, and we look forward to delivering more projects like this as part of IKE and future transportation programs,” he said. “A project like this really lends to the success of a community, and that’s what we’re about. We know when our communities are strong, our state is strong. We look to continue to support our communities through projects like this so our state can continue to be competitive in bringing all sorts of economic opportunities into Kansas.”
Reed said improving transportation helps with the goal of making rural Kansas successful.
“I understand there are unique needs for rural Kansas,” he said. “A lot of those needs revolve around agriculture, the agriculture industry. We know that is a key component of what makes Southwest Kansas successful.”
Reed said state officials are looking to partner with local leaders to find a path to develop four-lanes, improve and expand all corridors in Southwest Kansas.
“Something that has been missing for quite a while is that strategic plan for continued investment and understanding of how much it’s going to cost, what the benefits are and where that money can come from to help build those expansions,” he said. “We know it’s extremely important for our communities to continue to expand our highways.”
Reed said transportation is a necessity for everyone.
“We all need it. It’s important to me we fund all of these appropriately,” he said. “Highway movement is obviously very important for the success of the state of Kansas. We need to fund that appropriately, but we need to also be thinking about all the other ways people have to get around and be able to transport.”
Reed said four-lane highways remain a top priority in Southwest Kansas.
“How do we add capacity? How do we add passing opportunities on our highways?” he said. “We understand it. We see it. We are going to gather more information about what the current situation is, what we project it to be and how can we strategically invest in four-lane or passing opportunities across Southwest Kansas. We know it’s important. It helps drive commerce down here.”
Reed said for the amount of money spent on projects such as Hwy. 54, it needs to be money well spent.
“We need to make sure the value is there,” he said. “The value’s there in lots of different ways when we look at four-lane corridors all across the state – economic development opportunities, safety, the ability to travel more quickly and more reliably to our destinations. All of those things are extremely important. We’re going to continue to look at how we can build out and what strategically we need to be looking at for four-lane corridors across the state.”
Reed said overall, transportation is going well in the Sunflower State, and while work is still not meeting current expectations, there are things that can be done to make that possible.
“Highway safety is a shared responsibility,” he said. “We all understand it. There’s so much we as a DOT can do with support from our legislature, support from many levels of government, but driving is a very personal interaction. A lot of what we need to do is behavioral changes out there.”
For now, Reed said KDOT is focused on delivering what remains of the T-WORKS program and setting up for what comes after
“We know there’s a tremendous amount of need all across the state,” he said. “We continuing to stay focused on how do we deliver as efficiently as we can to the state of Kansas.”
Reed said everyone is essentially competing for the same group of people, and this needs to be done in a strategic and smart way to continue to deliver reliable transportation.
“You expect us to continue to deliver transportation, and we need to figure out how to continue to deliver it whether or not we have the workforce we expect or not,” he said. “Innovation’s going to be a big part of what we do. It’s a big focus of what we’re doing and how we’re going to continue to deliver.”
Reed finished by asking how many generations had fought to get to the point where Hwy. 54 is now, and he added the work done on the highway will last multiple generations.
“All of these investment you guys are making as a city, as a county, we as a state, we have to understand they are generational investments,” he said. “Our grandkids are going to be using that. Our great-grandkids are going to be using that. We have to be forward looking and thinking about how we can make the best decisions not just for now, but for the future.”
