By the Office of U.S. Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
SALINA, Kan. — U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. today announced $560,000 in grant funding to McPherson County and its communities from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program.
“Maintaining the safety of both our drivers and pedestrians is critical for the long-term prosperity of our communities,” said Senator Marshall. “Rural communities face unique challenges in assessing infrastructure and roadway safety as well as generating the funding required to make the necessary improvements and upgrades. I applaud the investment in our rural communities to ensure they have the same safety standards and expectations as their urban counterparts.”
Funding from the SS4A program will allow McPherson County to work with its individual communities – McPherson, Windom, Lindsborg, Inman, Canton, Galva and Moundridge – to help each community advance and complete existing projects and proposals while identifying improvements that can be made to further reduce serious injury and death. The initiatives involve all roadway users including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation, motorists, and commercial vehicle operators.
McPherson County has some of the highest rates of serious injury and death from transportation-related accidents in the state. From 2017-2021, McPherson County recorded 26 crash fatalities. That is 17.2 fatalities for every 100,000 residents. These incidents are largely due to a lack of investment and master planning at both the city and county level.
