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Western Sedgwick County is growing, and our infrastructure needs to keep up.
Goddard and Maize continue to be among our fastest-growing communities, while new homes and businesses are pushing farther into traditionally rural areas. That growth is good for our community, but it also means more traffic on two-lane roads that were never designed to handle what we are seeing today.
Planning ahead and improving safety for drivers in western Sedgwick County continues to be a major focus of mine. That was also part of our conversation as we adopted Sedgwick County’s 2027 budget this week.
Two larger projects I am frequently asked about are West Kellogg and the Northwest Expressway.
West Kellogg is the project closest to being ready to move forward. The City of Wichita has done significant work to prepare for the continued expansion west, including improvements at 119th and 135th Streets. Now, we need the state funding necessary to move the project toward construction.
I will continue advocating with KDOT and our state leaders to make West Kellogg a priority. Growth isn’t going to wait for our infrastructure to catch up.
The Northwest Expressway is at a different point. This corridor has been discussed for decades, and approximately 40% of the right-of-way has already been acquired. However, the plan itself hasn’t received a comprehensive update in years.
KDOT is completing a new feasibility study, now expected in early 2027. I continue to believe there will be a transportation need in this corridor, but KDOT has not yet committed to moving the Northwest Expressway forward.
That uncertainty played a role in a decision we made during adoption of the 2027 County budget. Rather than leave County dollars allocated to the Northwest Expressway while we wait for KDOT’s study and a clearer path forward, we redirected those dollars to three existing road and intersection projects that needed additional funding to move forward. This allows us to begin needed improvements sooner and put taxpayer dollars to work addressing transportation needs we know exist today.
That does not mean we are walking away from the Northwest Expressway. We look forward to completion of KDOT’s study so we can better understand where growth is headed, what route makes the most sense, what the road should look like and what investment will provide the greatest improvement to safety and mobility.
From the roads and intersections we can improve today to major projects like West Kellogg and the Northwest Expressway, the goal is the same: plan ahead, prioritize safety and put taxpayer dollars where they can make the greatest difference.
Western Sedgwick County is growing. We need to make sure our infrastructure is ready for what comes next.
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