The Republican Gubernatorial candidate and present Attorney General Derek Schmidt is proposing the expansion of US Highways 54 & 400.

Specifically, Schmidt wants to widen the highways to 4 lanes from Wichita to at least Parsons. The right of way is already owned by the state to Parsons and planning is underway to complete the US 69 four-lane connection to I44. Schmidt says that it’s time to be bold in this corridor so we can get the maximum economic benefit from the power of a four-lane highway in attracting new investment and career opportunities in Southern Kansas.

The biggest obstacle is stability in transportation funding. Kansas voters decades ago decided to separate money from long-term investment in transportation projects from annual state operating needs by constitutionally committing the state motor fuels tax solely to transportation. The problem is that now the sales tax on gas doesn't pay for all the existing and future transportation projects and so that puts transportation money for new projects in direct competition with other state priorities such as education and social services. This has resulted in money being diverted, by both sides of the aisle, to other projects or purposes.

Schmidt is proposing a constitutional amendment to protect stable transportation funding. Schmidt says, the ‘Bank of KDOT’ needs to be permanently closed. Schmidt was a guest on the Mighty 690 Thursday.