Kansas Department of Transportation
TOPEKA — A project to improve active transportation in Wallace County has received one of three grants awarded nationwide by the National Center for Safe Routes to School.
The Wallace County Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program was awarded a $10,000 mini-grant, funded in part by General Motors. The funding supported low-cost, quick-build infrastructure improvements designed to enhance pedestrian and bicyclist safety in Sharon Springs and Weskan. The improvements were among the engineering recommendations listed in Wallace County’s SRTS Planning and Programming Plan.
In Sharon Springs, 5-foot dedicated bike lanes have been striped in each direction on Ferlen Avenue from North Front Street to 5th Street. The lanes provide a dedicated route for students walking, biking or rolling to school along a lower-volume street with slower traffic.
In Weskan, two high-visibility crosswalks have been installed on Coyote Boulevard at the Cooper Avenue intersection near the school. The intersection, previously unmarked, is the primary crossing for students walking and biking to school.
Wallace County has been involved with the Kansas SRTS program since 2024 after receiving a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation to start SRTS initiatives in Sharon Springs and Weskan. Each community has its own project team, comprised of community and school representatives, that works to promote walking, biking and rolling to school through a combination of policies, programs and projects.
The efforts have largely been spearheaded by Wallace County Community Director Lissa Sexson, a northwest Kansas native with a passion for fostering optimism and opportunity in rural communities. With two school districts and three communities involved, Sexson noted the program’s success depends on strong communication among its many partners.
“We try to look at the county as a whole and focus on who needs what, rather than whether someone wears purple or blue,” Sexson said. “Our work is bigger than infrastructure. Creating opportunities for kids to ride together, neighbors to wave and those other small interactions help build a sense of community and make our rural places more hopeful and optimistic.”
Sexon’s work has earned her a nomination for the Deb Hubsmith Safe Routes Champion Award, which is presented to leaders who have made extraordinary contributions for advancing SRTS activities and active transportation in their communities. The winner will be announced later this year.
For more information about the Kansas Safe Routes to School program, visit https://saferoutes.ksdot.gov/.