By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The City of Great Bend applied for the Transportation Alternatives program last March for downtown sidewalk repair and accessibility improvements. The Kansas Department of Transportation awarded Great Bend the grant this past October.
Assistant City Engineer Hitha Kadiyala told the Great Bend City Council that the city does not have to pay anything for the project anymore.
"Initially, the State required a 20-percent match from the city to be eligible for this grant program," said Kadiyala. "Once they reviewed our application, they decided to fund it 100-percent with zero dollars required by the city. That's great news."
The project will make sidewalk improvements on Main Street, from 10th to 17th. The grant also covers curbs, gutters and ADA accessibility. The City Council approved the motion to authorize the mayor to sign the agreement with the State.
Initially, Great Bend applied for $600,000 with a $200,000 match. The State of Kansas will now fully fund the project that is expected to start in 2026. The Transportation Alternatives grant is a reimbursement project and funding will come from the KDOT grants fund and the quarter-cent sales tax fund.