Five for Friday on the Freight Advisory Committee

On Tuesday, KDOT Secretary Mike King announced the members of the newly-formed Kansas Freight Advisory Committee. During the Kansas Transportation Summit last fall, citizens said that our agency needed to have a better understanding of the demands of expanding freight within Kansas.  This committee was assembled to help provide input on these issues.  We caught up with John Maddox, KDOT's freight and rail program manager, to learn more about this committee and freight issues in Kansas.

1. What will be the committee's areas of focus? 

The Kansas Freight Advisory Committee Mission is to Advise, Assist and Advocate:

• Freight Transportation Trends, Issues and Needs
• Priority Freight Corridor Base Criteria
• Multimodal/Intermodal Freight Infrastructure Improvement Needs
• The need for, and the benefit of, a seamless, multimodal freight transportation system for the movement of Kansas products throughout the state, region, nation and around the globe.

2. What do you consider to be some of the greatest challenges/issues with regards to freight?  
The efficient movement of freight from origin to destination whether it be via motor carrier, rail, waterway, pipeline, air cargo or any combination of those modes. 

3. About how much freight is transported in Kansas each year?  Is that increasing/decreasing? 
Across all freight transportation modes hundreds of millions of tons of freight are hauled from, to, through and within Kansas annually.  Overall freight transportation growth is anticipated to be approximately two percent per year. 

4.  What was the selection criteria for committee members? 
The members of the Freight Advisory Committee were selected based on their experience and knowledge pertaining to freight transportation logistics.  The committee is composed of a diverse group of individuals representing transportation companies, shippers, industry organizations, state governmental agencies, local planning organizations and industry/manufacturing.

 5. When is the first meeting?
April 2^nd in Topeka.

 Below is a list of the Freight Advisory Committee members.

 

Five for Friday with Lt. Josh Kellerman

Talking SAFE DRIVING, RECORD-LOW FATALITIES, DRIVER BEHAVIOR

 

Today’s Five- for- Friday feature is with Lt. Josh Kellerman of the Kansas Highway Patrol. Lt. Kellerman has been with the Patrol since 2003 and currently serves as Public Information Officer.  An all-time low for fatalities on Kansas roads was reached in 2013 so we thought that was a good reason to talk about driver behavior with an expert.

  

1. What do you think is the single-most significant factor contributing to the drop in fatalities in 2013?

I believe the strict enforcement efforts from our statewide law enforcement agencies and the continued dedication to traffic safety by KDOT has played a huge contributing factor in the drop in fatalities. Through programs such as Click It or Ticket, law enforcement is provided that extra ability to be more present on our great Kansas roadways, arguably the best in the entire nation.

2. Will we ever get to zero fatalities? 
Through enhancements in vehicle safety, strict enforcement of highway laws by our LEO’s, and the continued traffic safety efforts of KDOT, I will always believe that is a possibility.  I know the Kansas Highway Patrol and all law enforcement agencies will continue to work in partnership with KDOT to make this a reality.

3. How does working a fatal crash affect you as a first responder?

Effects of a fatal crash can be found immediately as you begin to piece together your investigation.  In many cases, these effects will stay with you your entire career.  While at a fatality scene, there is so much information to gather as well as protocols to follow to complete a thorough investigation.  While doing all of this, you must also comprehend the loss of life and the absolute respect the deceased and their family deserve.  You could speak with any trooper and he will tell you the hardest part of our job is notifying a family of a death.  We obviously receive training on notifications, but no training prepares you for the pure emotion of that notification.
 

4. How do you know when someone is driving distractedly?

These days there are so many different distractions that are present.  Whether it be the GPS, radio, telephone, eating, or drinking, they are present in all our daily lives.  In many cases, vehicles weave within their lane of traffic and many times leave the lane of traffic entirely.  Often times, drivers are so distracted they do not even see us beside or behind them even when our emergency equipment is activated. 

5. What’s the craziest excuse you’ve heard from someone trying to get out of a ticket? 
I stopped a young lady early in my career for driving 75 mph in a 45 mph zone.  Upon identifying myself, she stated that she was heading to the hospital to see her mother.  While speaking with her I could smell an extremely strong odor of alcohol coming from her.  She was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.  Her blood alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit.  She later advised that her mother was not in the hospital and that she thought I would just let her go if she cried and told me that story.  

Five for Friday is an ongoing series featuring notable transportation figures.  If there is someone you would like to see featured, please recommend him or her in the comment box below.

Five for Friday with the Kansas Transportation Liaison

Talking KDOT & KTA partnership, 2014 Legislative Session

Today’s Five- for- Friday feature is with Tara Mays, who is the Kansas Transportation Liaison.  Mays is charged with the implementation of the KDOT and Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) partnership and serves as KDOT’s Acting Chief of Governmental Affairs.  With the Kansas Legislature now in full swing, we wanted to take a few minutes to tell you more about the partnership and what is coming up this session.

1.       What is the Kansas transportation agenda for this legislative session?

“Our agenda is very light for the coming legislative session.  We will mostly be giving informational presentations to legislators, updating them on our progress.  We are creating a Freight Advisory Committee and a Funding Advisory Committee, which we will spend a lot of time discussing with legislators.”

 2.       What exactly will the Freight and Funding advisory committees do?

“These committees will be composed of members from both the public and private sector who deal with issues related to transportation.  The committees will offer ideas and give recommendations for how transportation could be improved in the future.”

3.       In July, House Bill 2334 went into effect, which formalizes the partnership between KDOT and KTA. What was the reasoning behind this?  And would you call it a partnership or a merger?

“It’s a partnership, not a merger.  As specifically stated in the legislation, both entities will remain separate.  However, the purpose of this partnership is to help improve transportation as a whole by encouraging more collaboration among the agencies.  While both agencies did work together in the past on some projects, this formalized partnership is seen as a way to improve efficiencies and reduce costs.”

4.       There are some concerns about how this partnership might negatively impact services.  How would you say the partnership is going and have any saving been identified?

“The partnership is going very well. I’m pleased to announce that we’ve identified more than $17 million worth of estimated savings.  These savings will allow us to make additional improvements and to help keep costs down for travelers.   I want to ensure people that the purpose of this partnership is to improve services and not to reduce them.  We are tracking very closely the system as it stands at the start of the partnership and beyond to ensure that there is no change in the services that those traveling in Kansas have come to expect.”

5.       Funding is always a concern for agencies. What is the current status of transportation revenues?

"At the state level, we are in the fourth year of the 10-year state transportation program, T-WORKS, which has us in pretty good shape.  Of course, we will always have to be aware of any potential legislative changes that might impact our revenues for T-WORKS.  At the federal level, Congress will be charged with reauthorizing the federal transportation program this year."

Five for Friday is an ongoing series featuring notable transportation figures.  If there is someone you would like to see featured, please recommend him or her in the comment box below.

Five for Friday with the Gateway Project Director

Burt Morey at the Gateway Project site.

Today is an exciting day as it’s the launch of a new feature we like to call “Five for Friday” where we pose five questions to a key transportation stakeholder.  Today’s feature is on KDOT’s own, Burt Morey, who serves as the project director for the Johnson County Gateway Project.

What is the Johnson County Gateway Project?

“It’s an improvement of the I-435/I-35/K-10 interchange in Johnson County.  More than 230,000 travel through this interchange daily making it one of the most congested areas in the state.  And it’s expected to grow to over 380,000 by 2040, which is why improvements are needed.”

What is unique about this project?

“This is the first-ever design build project in Kansas.  The Kansas Legislature has authorized KDOT to complete one highway project by using this alternative delivery tool.  Traditionally separate contracts are issued for the design and for the construction of a project. With a design-build project, a single contract is issued for both design and construction of the project.”

What’s the benefit of design-build?

“The benefit of this approach is that you combine the skills of designers and contractors at a project’s onset, which can result in faster project delivery, more efficient use of materials and resources.”

Who’s going to build the Gateway Project and how much will it cost?

“On Jan. 10, we selected Gateway Interchange Constructors to build the project for $288 million.  GIC is a joint venture led by Kansas City, Mo.-based Clarkson Construction Co. They are partnered with Kiewit Infrastructure Co., which has national design-build experience on large scale projects such as T-REX in Denver. “

Given the size of this project and that it’s the first-ever design build project, that must make for a pretty extensive process to get this underway.  How do you think it’s going so far?

“It’s going very well.  We put together a great team to oversee the development of this project.  Everyone has been very supportive and has worked together well.  We’re pleased that we’ve been able to meet all of our deadlines and keep this project right on schedule.  I’m confident that we’ll continue to be successful as we enter the next phase of the process.”

The Gateway Project is scheduled to be completed in 2017.  You can keep track of how progress is going with the Gateway Project by visiting the project website at jocogateway.com