Be prepared for winter storms this weekend

With a new round of winter storms set to enter the state late Thursday, the Kansas Division of Emergency Management is again urging Kansans to make sure they are prepared.

"The National Weather Service is forecasting, widespread accumulating snow likely by late Sunday," said Angee Morgan, deputy director of KDEM.

Morgan said snowfall accumulation will vary from 1-3 inches in some areas to about 4-6 inches in other areas. She added there is even a potential for higher amounts if a heavy snow band develops early Sunday, but development of this band is uncertain.

"If you plan to travel, use caution and make sure your car emergency kit is stocked," said Morgan. Morgan said KDEM will be monitoring the weather and will activate the State Emergency Operations center in Topeka, if needed, to coordinate any state emergency response operations that might be requested.

A car emergency kit should include bottled water for everyone; nonperishable, high-energy snack items; flashlights and batteries; a battery-operated radio; blankets; a compact snow shovel; extra medications; signal flares and other emergency supplies to allow you to survive until help can arrive. Morgan said it is also advisable to fill your gas tank before you start, check engine fluid levels and tire pressure, and to make sure your cell phone is fully charged.

The entire state will see accumulating snow with the greatest amounts expected to fall generally along the I-70 corridor, beginning with light snow in the Northwest region late Thursday afternoon and moving slowly east across the state. Some areas may see a wintry mix or rain and freezing rain with minor ice glazing. Most regions will see the snow end by Sunday, although some areas may have precipitation lingering into early next week.

For information about road conditions go to Kandrive.org or call 511.

Sign unveiled to honor slain police officer

New highway signs were unveiled honoring Sergeant David Enzbrenner Tuesday in Atchison.



Sgt. David Enzbrenner was a 24-year veteran with the Atchison Police Department, who was fatally wounded, losing his life in the line of duty on Friday, December 9, 2011. Sgt. Enzbrenner who was just 46-years-old, was shot and killed while assisting with a nuisance abatement clean-up in Atchison. He is survived by his wife, Kerry, who shared memories of her beloved husband at Tueday’s event, and three children. 

Check out the video below of the ceremony to learn more about Enzbrenner.
 

KDOT study to develop criteria for location of a shipping facility

An advisory committee has begun the process of developing criteria to be used in evaluating potential Kansas sites for a transload shipping center.

The Transload Facility Site Analysis Advisory Committee had its initial meeting last week with national consultant HDR Inc., which has been hired to conduct a study and develop site selection criteria.

Transloading is the process of moving goods from one mode of transportation to another, or in this case, from truck to rail and rail to truck. By blending the benefits of shipping by rail and local/short haul trucking, a transload facility can provide more flexible and cost-effective solutions for customers who may not have local access to freight rail service or those who need expanded warehousing.

 
“The need for transloading facilities was identified by the state’s Freight Advisory Committee in August,” said Kansas Transportation Secretary Mike King. “Transportation typically makes up 15 percent of product cost so anything we can do to lower that is important to Kansas farmers, manufacturers and the state economy.” 

The HDR study is expected to be completed later this year.

Watch this train go through snow

Check out this incredible footage of a subway train going through snow that Boston reporter, John Atwater, shared on twitter.

Wednesday's Words

“Congress continues to pass short-term measures with flat funding that falls short of meeting our country’s needs,” DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx says. “I am once again taking my message directly to the American people because they know that Band-Aid funding measures don’t build bridges; they don’t create jobs; and they don’t help us compete in the 21st century. We need to put our country back to work with a long-term funding plan."

Foxx is embarking on a four-day bus tour starting Feb. 17 to highlight the importance of investing in America’s infrastructure, as well as to encourage Congress to act on a long-term transportation infrastructure bill.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Foxx’s tour will begin in Tallahassee, Fla., and take him through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. The tour will end at Union Station in Washington, D.C

Trivia Tuesday

Households in which of these cities own the most cars?
A. Manhattan
B. Olathe
C. Overland Park
D. Topeka

The correct answer is Olathe.  The average Olathe home owns two cars.  The remaining cities were slightly less than two.

If you want to see how other cities measure up in Kansas and across the country, click here.

Be careful driving today

Here are the road conditions across Kansas as of 8 a.m. today.  The blue lines indicated highways that are partially snowpacked, pink are completely snowpacked and brown indicates slush.

As you can see, many routes still have snow on them so please use caution when traveling today.  For the latest on road conditions, go to Kandrive.org or call 511.

T-WORKS website will be down on Saturday morning

Maintenance will cause a disruption in services offered by the Kansas

Department of Transportation between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14

The Office of Information Technology Services will be performing equipment upgrades that impact internet services to the website for T-WORKS. 

This will impact only services for the website http://kdotapp.ksdot.org/TWorks/, for Saturday morning. It is expected that the T-WORKS website services will be out on Saturday morning and back to full functioning capability Saturday afternoon.  

New 2015-2016 State Transportation Maps Available

Whether you want to drive across the state, find the closest airport, discover new places of interest or check out a state lake, the new 2015-2016 Kansas Official State Transportation Map published by the Kansas Department of Transportation has it all. 

City and county indexes are above the map as well as a distance map that allows motorists to pick the best route to their destination. Visitor resources, helpful phone numbers and websites as well as list of all state recreation areas are also provided. 

On the back of the map are inset maps of Kansas City, Wichita, Topeka and 13 other cities. There is information on how to get road condition information and highlights of Kansas driving laws. 

“The state map offers so much more than just directions – it’s a great source of information for those traveling or just want to learn more about Kansas,” said Secretary of Transportation Mike King. “It’s always good to have a state map handy.” 

Maps will be available at various travel information centers, attractions and other locations across the state. They can also be requested on the KDOT website at http://www.ksdot.org/maps.asp.

Senators Moran and Roberts discuss Kansas aviation issues

Transportation Secretary Mike King and Jesse Romo, KDOT's Director of Aviation, participated in a round table discussion with Kansas Senators Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts and aviation officials from across the state on Monday. 

The discussion focused on the need for a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill and what federal funding programs are most important for Kansas airports. Both senators were optimistic about getting a reauthorization bill passed this session. 

Throwback Thursday

Here's a look at the I-235 & U.S. 81 interchange from 1963.

Wednesday's Words

"We're changing how we move in this country," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx to an audience at Google's main campus in Mountain View on Monday.

"As populations starts to concentrate around metropolitan areas around the country, and you start to see more congestion—increasing travel times—it has implications on how much money we need to invest but also what it is we're paying for with that money. Multimodal systems are going to be needed in the future."

"Multimodal meaning bus, car, train?" clarified Google's Eric Schmidt, who led the discussion.

"Choices," said Foxx. "Giving people choices."

President Obama unveils FY2016 Budget

The President's budget includes $478 billion for a six-year surface transportation reauthorization proposal to support infrastructure and create jobs.  Here is a breakdown of the funding included in the President's budget, which was revealed yesterday.

• $317 billion for roads and bridges
• $143 billion for transit and passenger rail service
• $18 billion for multi-modal freight programs
• $1 billion annually for credit assistance for nationally and regionally significant transportation projects.

To learn more about the budget, click here.

Beyond Traffic

How will you travel in 30 years?  What changes would you like to see made in how we provide transportation services in America?  The U.S. Department of Transportation wants your input.  Check out the video below to see how you can get involved.