Johnson County is lining up nearly $50 million for 2027 to fix roads and shore up stormwater systems across the Kansas county. Similar work received more than $46 million in 2025.
A post from Johnson County, KS Government describes nearly $50 million in roadway and stormwater improvements for 2027. Johnson County also operates the County Assistance Road System (CARS) and the Stormwater Management Program.
How CARS Keeps Major Roads Moving
CARS has been around since 1983, when the county's Board identified a need for a program focused on constructing and maintaining Johnson County's major corridors, according to Johnson County Public Works. The program funnels money to the county's cities so they can build and maintain their major arterials, with the county covering half of each project's construction and construction inspection costs. Eligibility is narrow by design — the same Public Works source notes that only major arterial and some minor collector streets qualify, so residential and local streets are out of scope.
That structure held steady in 2025, when CARS funded 16 projects across 13 cities at an estimated cost of roughly $18.5 million, per the agency's account.
Stormwater Program Grows Its Watershed Push
The county's Stormwater Management Program is funded in part by a one-tenth-of-one-percent sales tax dedicated to stormwater management and flood-control work, a tax the Kansas Legislature authorized in 1988. Public Works manages both the CARS and stormwater programs under one roof, the department has said.
In 2025, the stormwater program was funded at around $27.8 million and covered 23 system assessment and replacement capital projects plus three watershed improvements, with $10.25 million earmarked specifically for flood-risk reduction work.
A City-Level Preview of What's Ahead
At least one city has already signaled how the 2027 CARS cycle will play out locally. Spring Hill's council approved a five-year plan to participate in CARS for 2027 through 2031 and authorized an application for a 2027 project on 199th Street, according to Citizen Portal. It's a small window into how individual cities line up their own road work behind the county's broader funding commitment.
The county's 2027 plan puts nearly $50 million toward roadway and stormwater improvements, continuing its infrastructure work for another year.
