A cut of more than $120 million in Kansas' transportation programs is now law.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has signed SB6, a budget bill that included cuts of $128 million from the state's comprehensive highway program in fiscal 2004. In addition to the $128 million, KDOT will also lose $31 million from its fiscal 2004 budget, and an additional $13 million during fiscal 2003, to pay the cost of the highway patrol, Miller said. KDOT has not paid for the highway patrol since 1983.

The money cut from roads was used to help balance the state's books.

However, Kansas Secretary of Transportation Deb Miller told Land Line earlier that the department would not cut any highway projects that are already under way.

"At this point, we are not cutting any announced projects in the program," Miller said. "We have no need to withhold projects, delay projects, not go forward in fiscal year 2004."

The $128 million withheld for fiscal 2004 is state sales tax money normally transferred to KDOT for the highway program. Since fiscal year 2000, $612 million in sales tax money for roads has been shifted elsewhere.

In addition to the cuts for fiscal 2004, former Gov. Bill Graves, now president of the American Trucking Associations, cut $95 million out of last year's transportation budget.