The Kansas transportation secretary said Tuesday he discusses proposed highway projects with the governor’s office but didn’t recall whether he had specifically spoken about a project suspected of being a favor to a Republican senator in a tight re-election race.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat, appeared visibly angry as he grilled Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Richard Carlson during a committee hearing. He said he perceived the decision to allow the southeastern Kansas project as political, but Carlson replied that the agency tries not to make decisions in a political manner.

Gov. Sam Brownback last April delayed more than two dozen projects. But in June, he reversed course on one, allowing the $25 million widening of US-69 highway to proceed after complaints from Sen. Jacob LaTurner, R-Frontenac. LaTurner was facing off against Democrat Lynn Grant, considered a competitive challenger, though he ultimately won.

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Midday Minute for Jan. 24, 2017.

Carlson told the Senate Ways and Means Committee he didn’t recall discussing the US-69 project with the governor but said he does speak about projects with the governor’s office. He rejected the suggestion the decision was political.

“There’s probably a number of decisions we make that are perceived as political. We try not to make it into the political arena,” Carlson said.

While speaking with Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka, Carlson said the US-69 project was “shovel ready” and said it was less expensive than some other projects but not necessarily the least expensive. Kelly asked why it was chosen if it wasn’t necessarily the least expensive project that was ready to go.

“It was just one that came up on the list at that point in time and they chose that one to go for,” Carlson said.

The governor’s office, however, has previously acknowledged Brownback’s preference for the project. A spokeswoman for Brownback in June said the governor “gave his word” that completing the US-69 corridor would be a priority and had been working with KDOT to reschedule the project.

Hensley argued the project approval appears political.

“I don’t know of any decision that’s been made by a secretary of KDOT in the past that was really perceived as being political, but I definitely would perceive this one as having been political,” Hensley said.

Sen. John Doll, R-Garden City, appeared skeptical of Carlson, questioning why a project near Sublette — a small city south of Garden City — has been ongoing for more than a year with little progress while the US-69 project was delayed then restarted.

“It makes a guy suspicious. And I’m not doing it for political reasons. I’m doing it because these guys are driving 50 miles an hour on a project that started a couple years ago. It’s hard for me to comprehend,” Doll said.

Highway spending

KDOT plans to go forward with only $28 million in new road and bridge projects in the next fiscal year, information from the agency indicates.

According to a KDOT chart, the governor’s budget proposal calls for $28 million in spending for new projects covering about 235 miles. That is compared to $88 million and 765 miles this year. As recently as fiscal year 2015, new project spending was as high as $167 million and spanned more than 1,000 miles.

KDOT is delaying 10 modernization projects over the next three years and 13 expansion projects. The delays will affect more than $500 million in construction.

More than 30 projects valued at more than $311 million have been removed from lettings, according to a KDOT document. Among them is a project to mill and overlay 5 miles of US-24 highway in Shawnee County. The $2 million project was originally supposed to be let this coming April.

“It’s our belief, at this time, that we can maintain the roads at good levels for the period of time with the $900 million, approximately, that we have,” Carlson said.

Bob Totten, vice president of the Kansas Contractors Association, called the funding levels for roads and bridges inadequate. He harped on sweeps from the state highway fund over the past six years.

Brownback’s budget proposal calls for more than $500 million in highway fund transfers next fiscal year.

“By making the decision to virtually halt all new road and bridge projects, the administration has shown that it is willing to put up roadblocks on Kansas’ future in order to patch budget holes it created,” Totten said.