TOPEKA (KSNT) – Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and other state officials have officially welcomed a new leader at the Kansas Statehouse.

On Monday, Calvin Reed was sworn in as the new Kansas Secretary of Transportation. Reed has served in the interim role since 2022, when former Secretary of Transportation Julie Lorenz retired.

Reed has worked for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) since 2002. He told 27 News KDOT has been rebuilding for several years and is starting to show its potential, which is important to him.

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“We are, you know, one of the agencies that I can say impact every Kansans every day,” Reed said. “And so being able to have that impact and really grow the capacity and continue to help Kansans and communities grow.”

Kelly said Reed’s years of commitment to KDOT show he is the right person for the job.

“I was worried, but I shouldn’t have been worried because right next door to Julie Lorenz we had Calvin Reed who has stepped in and been an incredible leader in his own rank for the agency,” Kelly said. “And the agency has not skipped a beat.”

Some major projects Reed says he’s looking forward to completing are the Heartland Flyer expansion and the Polk Quincy Viaduct project.

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