Gubernatorial candidate Derek Schmidt proposes 4-lane highway across S. Kansas

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - A candidate for Kansas governor wants to expand highways linking much of southern Kansas. Wednesday, Republican candidate Derek Schmidt, currently the state’s attorney general, proposed expanding Highways 400 and 54 to four lanes across Kansas, connecting southwest Kansas, Wichita and southeast Kansas.

Schmidt said the plan would be modeled after Interstate 70, which runs through northern Kansas. He did not say how much the project would cost.

“In my view, the construction of Interstate 70 across northern Kansas continues to provide perhaps the biggest economic return on capital investment of taxpayer dollars in Kansas history,” Schmidt said. “Southern Kansas needs and deserves that same opportunity because in the 21st century, four-lane access is essential for economic growth, particularly in manufacturing and agriculture, which are staples of the region.”

Schmidt also proposed amending the Kansas Constitution to ban state lawmakers from diverting state highway money to other government priorities.

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