EBP, acting as a subconsultant for Burns & McDonnell, conducted the Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) to support the Kansas Department of Transportation’s successful grant application to the 2024 Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program (Rural). The project received $26,698,000 to improve access to dairy farms in southwest Kansas. 

The project will pave dirt roads that connect dairy farms in Hamilton and Edwards counties to the state’s highway network, making them safer and more efficient. The project’s roadway improvements will allow for the use of larger trucks to transport milk, feed, and other commodities to and from the dairy farms. Additionally, it will add stormwater infrastructure that will make these areas more resilient during heavy rainfall, rand prevent trucks and farm employees’ cars from getting stuck in the mud or sliding off the road. 

For the BCA, EBP monetized benefits associated with reduced operations and maintenance costs, safety improvements, travel time savings, vehicle operating cost savings, emissions reductions, and avoided highway use externalities. USDOT recognized the project for its strengths in State of Good Repair, Economic Impacts, Freight Movement, and Job Creation.