RETROFIT OF A MAJOR URBAN CORRIDOR, US-54 HIGHWAY IN WICHITA, KANSAS, AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL PARTNERSHIP UNDER THE KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION'S CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), in 1997, instituted a program to more effectively manage the interaction between land use and transportation. This program, called Corridor Management, contains several tools that are new to Kansas. First, access to the state highway system is now governed by engineering standards as opposed to the guidelines that were in place before. These standards represent minimums that require preparation of a variance for any exceptions. Second, access spacing standards now reflect functional hierarchy in highway classification. Third, procedures for advance acquisition of right of way are now in place. Fourth, each of the six districts now have their own corridor management plan where high growth corridors are identified and the partnering process with cities and counties is begun. Finally, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the formation of partnerships between KDOT, city and county officials to jointly manage these rapidly developing corridors from a combined land use/transportation perspective. The primary purpose of Corridor Management is to prevent conflicts between land use and transportation through partnerships, the result being binding corridor master plans that identify planning standards for newly developing or redeveloping areas and operational retrofits for established areas. The first corridor chosen was a segment of US-54 highway in south central Kansas.