Kansas Department of Transportation Awards Over $1.2M to Wyandotte

Published on April 14, 2022

Late last week, Governor Laura Kelly announced over $13.2 million to be awarded from Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) for public transit projects across Kansas. The state has awarded $1.2 million in funding to the Unified Government Transportation Department as a part of the Access, Innovation, and Collaboration (AIC) Public Transit Program.

This funding will allow the Unified Government Transportation Department to support for six transit projects for residents of Wyandotte County, Kansas City, KS, Bonner Springs and Edwardsville by increasing access to employment, educational opportunities, and healthcare.

Projects At-a-Glance

• WYCO Health Link: $124,168.00
  WyCo Health Link is a collaborative non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) project between the Unified Government Departments of Transportation and Public Health and several local safety-net clinics. The program will provide 100 roundtrip vouchers each month so Wyandotte County residents can better access non-emergency healthcare. The Unified Government will provide these trips with both its existing transit services as well as partner with Uber Health as needed.
  
  
• Microtransit Expansion: $394,144.00
  Microtransit is an on-demand shuttle service that more seamlessly aligns travel demand to transportation services which can be more effective is less dense areas of our community than fixed route transit. This funding will be used to expand workforce access to the Edwardsville Industrial Business Park as part of an ongoing collaboration between the Unified Government, City of Edwardsville, Wyandotte Economic Development Council, and the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, this project includes funding for fleet electrification and charging station infrastructure.
  
  
• Facility Modernization: $431,778.00
  This project funds several capital improvements at the Unified Government fleet center including the addition of a heating system for the cold storage building, installation of six fast opening garage doors, updates to the existing car wash, and two new security gates.
  
  
• Fleet Modernization: $271,440.00
  This project will provide funding for the purchase and installation of Automatic Passenger Counters (APCs), Auto Voice Announcement Systems (AVAs), and the installation of four hybrid conversion systems for existing vehicles within the Unified Government transit fleet. This will allow the Unified Government to improve customer service and accessibility while providing better data for travel demand management.
  
  
• Software Upgrades: $16,560.00
  This project will provide funding to implement an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system to integrate into the current paratransit dispatch software. This will make it easier for residents to access these services. In addition, it will also integrate a web-based dashboard that allows clients to book trips online.
  
  
• Accident/Incident Management System: $15,300.00
  This project will procure a cloud-based software solution to better manage compliance with the FTA's Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) final rule. Specifically, this platform will allow Unified Government Transportation Department to digitize the record keeping and operational processes relating to all accident/incident reporting.
  
  

“We are excited about Governor Kelly’s recent announcement regarding the Access, Innovation and Collaboration grant program, expressed Unified Government Transportation Department Manager, Ryan Hurst. These funds will allow us to increase access to jobs, healthcare & educational opportunities for the residents of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS. We will be able to enhance the overall customer experience through strategic investments in technology while modernizing our fleet of vehicles, investing in electronic vehicles and electronic vehicle infrastructure to further the community’s commitment to sustainability. Additionally, we’ll be able to expand our services to even more community members through increased service offerings to previously underserved areas and strategic partnerships with public, private and non-profit organizations across the community.”

For more information regarding the Unified Government Transportation Department, please contact wycokck.org/transportation.