Thanks for making our blog a success

We want to say thank you to all of our viewers for this blog.  In our first year, we reached over 40,000 views, which literally would not have been possible without all of you.

Here's a look back at some of our most popular blog posts this year in case you didn't get to see them all.

Watch 10 hours of bridge construction --- in less than three minutes!

12 Snow plows were struck during last week's storm

Technical Tuesday: The need for speed...limits

Motoring Monday: Cedar Cove Feline Sanctuary & Education Center

License to draw

This is our last blog post for 2014.  We want to wish you a wonderful holiday season and please check back with us in the new year.

Massive storm may cause delays for holiday travelers

If you're planning to travel this week, make sure you check your flight status or the road conditions before you go.

Starting Tuesday,  a major storm system--stretching from the Midwest down to the South and up the East Coast — will bring heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds that are likely to cause travel headaches on the roads and flight delays from the Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic and New England.

For road conditions, you can call 511 to get the latest road conditions on most states in the country.  (There are few places without coverage.  Check this map to see where the gaps are.)

Kansas does utilize 511 and you can also visit Kandrive.org for travel information.

If you're flying, click here to see if your flight is on-time.

As always, please wear your seat belt and be safe this holiday season.

The Year in Search

"Did you try googling it?"  This is a top response in most offices when a colleague is having trouble finding the solution to a problem.

Many of us don't go a day without using a search engine of some kind.  What do those searches say about us?  Google answers that along with what the top searches were for 2014 in the video below.  Check it out and see if some form of transportation made the list.

Current Road Conditions

Here's the condition of Kansas highways as of 8:30 a.m. today.  The routes highlighted in pink are completely snowpacked, those in light blue are partially snowpacked and those in brown have slush. 

For the latest road conditions, please visit Kandrive.org or call 511.  And for some winter driving tips, please click here.

A remarkable journey

How do you transport something that weighs as much as 400 cars?  That's the question that ABB, a multinational corporation, had to figure out in order to transfer the world's largest HVDC transformers from Sweden to Brazil.  Find out how they did it in the video below.

Technology Tuesday: 10 inventions that will supercharge your journey

Tech Radar has identified 10 inventions that will revolutionize transportation in the future.  Click on the video below to check them out.

4 Steps for making sure your child is safe while traveling

Throwback Thursday

Here's a look at the Governor's mansion all lit up for the holidays.  Can you guess what year this photo was taken?  Here's a hint: "Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind."  Give us your guess in the comment box below.

KDOT to transfer money from highway fund

Under the Governor’s allotment plan announced Tuesday, the Kansas Department of Transportation will transfer $95.7 million out of the State Highway Fund.

            

In addition, a 3 percent reduction from KDOT’s operations budget will be included in a rescission bill that will be considered by the 2015 Legislature. The 3 percent reduction amounts to $7.8 million out of an operations budget of $260 million. Although the 3 percent reduction will impact the agency’s salary budget, there will be no layoffs or salary reductions.

Projects announced under the T-WORKS transportation program will continue as planned. Projects already let under the 10-year program have cost less than planned, federal and state revenues have been higher than anticipated, and bond rates have been more favorable than expected. 

KDOT leaders also continue to look for savings through technology and innovation where possible.

It's not easy driving a snow plow

As we get closer to winter, it's always good to remember the important role our snow plow drivers play in allowing us to get where we need to go in inclement weather.  Travelers play a role in allowing our snow plow drivers to do their job safely. Check out the video below to learn more.

Mature drivers rank their top technology needs

Can you guess which new vehicle technology older drivers ranked as the best feature?  It wasn't an emergency response system or drowsy driver alerts.  The top pick was a blind spot awareness system. Check out the photo below to see how all the features ranked.

License to draw

Thursday morning at the KDOT offices started normal enough, until we checked our twitter notifications and the whole day turned around.

Shane Heiman’s second grade class from Lawrence’s New York Elementary sent KDOT their choices for new license plates.

Every school day Mr. Heiman has his class of 18 students do a daily journal entry and then they tweet their responses to people or businesses that might be interested in their ideas. So far this school year, Heiman’s class of 7 and 8 year olds have gotten at least one response a week from the people they tweet at.

Unfortunately, KDOT doesn’t handle the license plates it’s the Kansas Department of Revenue, but these journal entries were too good not to share and we will make sure to pass on your ideas to them. 

Check out the designs below.

 

Throwback Thursday

Here's a look at the intersection of Broadway and Kellogg streets in Wichita in late November back in '63.  Oh, what a night.

Why transportation is important for older adults

It's Older Driver Awareness Week.  Check out the video by the Tufts Health Plan Foundation that explains what it's like to lose your freedom to drive.

How fast could you travel across the U.S. in the 1800s?

Did you know that in 1830 you could travel across the U.S. nearly twice as fast as you could thirty years before?  The Mother Nature Network has put together an excellent article showing how much travel times changed during the 1800s.  Click here to see the maps of routes and learn more about why travel times improved so much.