Chase County applies for federal grants to restore historic bridge and fund road engineering

County officials told commissioners on Jan. 30 that Chase County has applied for federal funding to repair a historic bridge and to finance engineering for a major county road.

The county submitted a Kansas Federal Lands Access Program application on Jan. 20 requesting $155,000 to improve County Road 227 and to restore the Lower Fox Creek Road Bridge, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The application allocates roughly $42,000 to stone and mortar restoration at the bridge’s top stone and to historically correct repointing and cleaning; remaining funds would address drainage, culvert replacement (7 of 10 culverts) and measures to reduce recurring flood damage.

Speaker 6 said the program will review applications with a programming decisions committee and that the county should know whether it is shortlisted by mid‑April; the PDC may arrange a formal scoping or site visit in the summer. Traffic counts the county conducted matched Kansas Department of Transportation estimates, which the presenter cited in support of the need for improvements.

Separately, staff reported an application to the Rural and Tribal Assistance (RTA) program seeking $2,500,000 for preliminary engineering on Middle Creek Road; a decision or next step was expected in the coming weeks with possible activity around May.

What happens next: county staff will await shortlist notification and, if shortlisted, coordinate any required site review and scope work with federal reviewers; the board asked to be updated when additional decisions or site visits are scheduled.