Check out this video about work zone awareness

It's Go Orange Day!

To learn more about Go Orange Day, click here.

We have another great safety blog today written by Scott Thompson, Kansas Turnpike Authority Assistant Foreman from Lawrence - he had a close call last October- read it here.

Today is our statewide work zone safety news conference at 1:30 p.m. on the south steps of the Capitol and the event will be streamed by LiveMeeting to many KDOT offices (In  ESOB, 4^th floor, Auditorium B conference room).

Also, if you have kids, check out our coloring page here – great activity to talk about work zone safety with children.

Mother shares powerful message about her son's death

Today’s safety blogger is Shirley McDonald, mother of KDOT employee Scotty McDonald, who was killed in a work zone crash in 2005. It’s been 10 years and time does not heal all wounds, as Shirley tells us in this powerful blog - read it here.

Is 15 minutes worth compromising someone's safety?

Today’s safety blogger is Casey Simoneau – he is a Technical Trooper with the Kansas Highway Patrol and he reminds people that a minor inconvenience is a small price to pay for safety - read Casey’s blog here.

National Workzone Awareness Week begins Today

Our blog series begins today with KDOT Subarea Supervisor Brad Reeh sharing his experience witnessing a collision in a work zone.  Click here to read Brad's blog.

Stay tuned for National Work Zone Awareness Week

From March 23 to March 27, a new blog will be posted every day from people sharing their stories and experiences focusing on why work zone safety is so important as part of the 2015 National Work Zone Awareness Week efforts in Kansas

Please feel free to share this link with others - our goal is for everyone to be safe in work zones, both the highway workers and the motorists.

Also check out our Go Orange website filled with lots of safety information at http://www.ksdot.org/offTransInfo/GoOrange/WorkZoneSafety.asp

Prairie Trail Scenic Byway extended

Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Mike King recently approved a 24-mile extension of the Prairie Trail Scenic Byway in central Kansas.   

 
The original 56-mile route was designated as a scenic byway in 2007. It begins at Canton in McPherson County then follows county roads north to Roxbury and west to the south I-135/K-4 interchange. It follows K-4 westward to K-141 and then goes north to the K-140/K-141 intersection in Ellsworth County, where it formerly ended. The new extension will take travelers west on K-140 to Ellsworth, then north on K-156 to I-70.  

“The Kansas Byway Committee is excited about extending the Prairie Trail Scenic Byway to 80 miles because it highlights many of the scenic and historical features from Canton to I-70,” said Sue Stringer, KDWPT Kansas Byways and Agritourism Manager.  “We commend the grassroots Prairie Trail committee for realizing what this area of central Kansas offers the traveler and for working together to develop their corridor management plan to protect, preserve and market their communities through the Kansas Byway program.” 

The Prairie Trail Scenic Byway showcases a number of scenic and historic locations. Travelers can see bison at Maxwell Wildlife Refuge and visit Roxbury, Lindsborg, Marquette, Kanopolis State Park and Reservoir, Mushroom Rock State Park and Ellsworth, a prominent city along a branch of the historic Great Western Trail. The terrain features rolling hills punctuated by dramatic views and rocky outcrops. It is one of 11 scenic or historic byways in the state, a figure that includes two national scenic byways.   

The Kansas Byway program is jointly managed by KDOT and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT). The Kansas State Historical Society and the Federal Highway Administration also participate on the Kansas Byway Committee which oversees the program. 

For more information about Kansas Byways, visit KSByways.com. 

Tuesday Trivia

Which city hosts the St. Patrick's Day parade with the most number of spectators?
A. Boston
B. New York
C. Dublin
D. London

With over two million spectators, New York City hosts the largest St. Patrick's Day parade in the world.  Dublin hosts the largest parade in Ireland and typically has around 500,000 spectators.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Top 10 busiest U.S. airports

Atlanta transports the most passengers of any airport in the world not just the U.S.  These numbers are from the USDOT's 2015 Pocket Guide to Transportation.  You can learn more about airports and other interesting facts by clicking here.

KDOT helps bring 50 new jobs to Coffeyville

Coffeyville Mayor James Faulkner speaks about the expansion.

The city of Coffeyville will receive up to $1 million from KDOT to fund improvements that will support the expansion of a long-time Coffeyville business.

The funding, which will improve streets near Acme Foundry, a 110-year-old fixture of the Coffeyville business community, was announced today by Gov. Sam Brownback.

 
Acme, a locally-owned company that produces castings for various industries, plans to expand their plant by constructing a 30,000-square-foot shipping/receiving facility and add 50 jobs. Transportation improvements are critical because the existing street that serves the foundry and other industrial traffic must be removed to provide room for Acme’s expansion. Without the road improvements to be funded through KDOT’s Economic Development program, Acme wouldn’t be able to expand.

 “One of the functions of state government is to provide the support companies need to expand or locate in Kansas,” said Gov. Brownback. “KDOT’s Economic Development program is a perfect example of how public-private partnerships can broaden the state’s economic base, and that means jobs for Kansans.” 

The Economic Development program provides $10 million in funding annually to assist communities to be more competitive in regional, national and even global markets.

 “One of the best ways to encourage economic growth is through strategic investment in transportation infrastructure,” said Kansas Transportation Secretary Mike King. “That’s exactly what we’ve done in Coffeyville.”