A state task force will study the Kansas transportation system under a mandate signed into law Wednesday by Governor Jeff Colyer.
Kansas is at the tail-end of a 10-year transportation plan, and Republican Senator John Skubal says the panel will make recommendations for the next long-term proposal. He says highways can be economic drivers for communities, so the study will include public meetings throughout the state.
“The big thing about this is that we need to hear from the people and the leaders in the communities and we need to figure out where we need to put roads,” Skubal says.
The group will also consider ways to pay for transportation. Skubal says perhaps it should look at charging a per-mile fee for vehicles instead of a simple gas tax.
Lawmakers have swept billions of dollars from the highway fund to help balance the budget. The new spending plan signed this week continues that practice, but less so than in some past years.