Students to participate in Garrett A. Morgan Shadow Day

Last month, we celebrated Black History Month with a blog about the inventor of the early version of the traffic signal, Garrett Morgan. Because of his dedication to improving the future of transportation, students have the chance to learn about the transportation industry through the Garrett A. Morgan Shadow Day Program.

According to the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, (COMTO) the program is designed to educate students in grades K-12 about career opportunities in transportation.

Students receive an opportunity to learn more about careers in the transportation industry through the Garrett A. Morgan Shadow Day program. 

“The goal is to ensure that the nation is equipped with a workforce that can embrace the unlimited opportunities of the 21^st Century,” an article from COMTO said.

Because demand for both traditional and new skills in the transportation continues to grow, the need to educate students about the many opportunities in the transportation field is crucial.  The current work force is rapidly reaching retirement and students entering the workforce have a chance to take advantage of transportation employment opportunities.

This Friday, students from Topeka and Kansas City will join KDOT employees on a field trip where they will receive hands-on experience with agencies in the transportation industry in Kansas City.

This event was originally supposed to take place in February but had to be rescheduled because of inclement weather.

Please check our social media pages next week for some pictures from the event!

Fourth-graders help KDOT celebrate Kansas Day!

In a pre-celebration of Kansas Day, last Friday, 17 Chanute fourth-graders arrived at the southeast District KDOT office bearing unique gifts. 

These creative students from Chanute shared what they loved about Kansas with KDOT crews in southeast Kansas last Friday. 

Each student had crafted a small collage of photos showing what he or she loved most about Kansas, ranging from animals to sunflowers to EVERYTHING!

Chanute fourth-graders help raise a new state flag at the southeast Kansas District Office 

The clever collages are now displayed in the office window. During the visit the kids also gathered at the front flagpole to switch out the weather-worn official Kansas State Flag with a new state flag. Assisted by district staff, they toured a dump truck and then posed in the parking lot appropriately outfitted with safety vests, hard hats and sign paddles.

Chanute fourth-graders toured the southeast Kansas District Office and wore safety vests while holding up signs frequently used in the job. 

 Although outdoor conditions were chilly, the field trip to KDOT ended on a warm note. Class members returned to the office lobby for juice, cookies and goody bags containing Kansas highway maps before boarding the bus back to school.

Kansas kids win poster/video contests, focus on improving traffic safety

Winners of two Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day statewide contests have been announced as part of the national safety campaign Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day.

For the poster contest – Kaymi Zink of Claflin, Finley Maloney of Kingman and Abigail Coons of Lawrence are the statewide winners. Each student was first selected as a regional winner and will receive a bicycle and a helmet donated by Safe Kids Kansas at presentations at their schools. A total of 836 Kansas kids ages 5 to 13 participated.

As statewide winners in their age categories, they will also receive a Kindle Fire tablet from the Kansas Turnpike Authority, a $50 gift card from the Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association of Kansas, a $50 gift card from Wal-Mart and movie passes from AAA Kansas. 

Abigail Goons, created this poster. She is a student from Lawrence. 

Finley Maloney, created this poster and is a student from Kingman. 

Kaymi Zink created this poster and is a student from Claflin. 

For the video contest – Andrew Marshall Tabb from Shawnee Mission West won first place. He will receive his choice of an iPad, GoPro or Osmo Steadicam along with a $500 donation to the school, class or booster club.

Students from Eudora High School captured second place, and students from Lawrence High School placed third in the video contest. Each will receive one of the remaining prizes listed above. There were 37 entries from teens across the state. To see the winning videos, go to http://bit.ly/2018PTBOF.

Organizations that work together on this safety campaign include the Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Turnpike Authority, Kansas Highway Patrol, AAA of Kansas, Kansas Contractors Association, Kansas Family Partnership, Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office, Federal Highway Administration and the Kansas Society of Professional Engineers.

Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day is a nationwide effort to increase roadway safety and reduce all traffic fatalities. For more information and a list of all the winners across Kansas, go to www.ksdot.org and click on the Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day information.

Class is in session: School bus safety

Back to school means back to the bus for thousands of kids across the country and for young riders riding the bus is a much-anticipated rite of passage.  Experts say that the bus is the safest way to get to school, however, buses like any other large vehicles, have blind spots. 

According to research by the National Safety Council, most of the children who lose their lives in bus-related incidents are four to seven years old, and they're walking. They are hit by the bus, or by a motorist illegally passing a stopped bus. A few precautions go a long way toward keeping children safe around buses:

• Never pass a bus if it is stopped to load or unload children.
• If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, traffic must stop.
• The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them space to safely enter and exit the bus.
• Be alert; children often are unpredictable and they tend to ignore hazards and take risks.
• Stand at least three giant steps back from the curb when the bus is approaching.  This allows the driver room to maneuver and plenty of room to see you.
• Wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before boarding or exiting.
• Use the handrail when boarding and exiting the bus.
• Stay 10 feet in front of the bus when walking in front of the bus.  This will help the bus driver see you.
• Look left, then right, then left   again when crossing the street to board or exit the bus.
• Never bend down near the bus or go under the bus to grab something.
• Always stay away from the rear wheels of the bus.

For more information about driving around buses safely check out the Kansas Department of  Education's brochure:

Building the future: KDOT attends iBuild, inspires future construction professionals

High school and middle school students had the opportunity to climb inside 

KDOT vehicles and see how they operate from the inside.

More than 1,000 middle school and high school students in the Kansas City Metropolitan area had the opportunity to meet with transportation industry professionals and learn about various construction industry careers at the iBuild Showcase that took place at Bartle Hall in Kansas City on Thursday, May 5. 

KDOT crew members shared what it is like to work for the agency, what they see on a daily basis in work zones, and how to operate the various equipment and vehicles. They encouraged them to pursue careers that will help keep Kansas infrastructure strong and the economy growing.

Students asked the crews how KDOT uses advanced technology to perform their jobs every day. KDOT employees were able to explain how sensors and computer programs help determine the right mixture of road treatments during winter weather.

KDOT is committed to strengthening and encouraging construction professionals well into the future. Many of our jobs offer training and can be filled by high school graduates. For more information on job opportunities check out our website: 

Fly Kansas Air Tour 2017 a soaring success

Forty planes and fifty pilots participated in the 3-day Fly Kansas Air Tour. 

Amelia Earhart once said, “…The lure of flying is the lure of beauty, and I need no other flight to convince me that the reason flyers fly, whether they know it or not, is the aesthetic appeal of flying.”

More than 1,200 students and members of the public had the opportunity to view 40 planes that participated in the 2017 Fly Kansas Air Tour.  

A Pilot demonstrates the controls to a student during the Fly Kansas Air Tour.

At least 50 pilots and their planes began their 10-stop journey on Sept. 28 in Wellington. The tour, which was presented by the Kansas Commission on Aerospace Education (KCAE) and KDOT focused on encouraging STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and highlighted the benefits of local airports to smaller communities. 

Students react to the various aircraft that took part in the Fly Kansas Air Tour. 

This is the fourth consecutive year for the revived Fly Kansas Air Tour. The first incarnation of the tour took place in 1928, and its goal was to promote the fledgling aviation industry in Kansas. While this year’s tour still promoted the aviation industry in the state; Ed Young, President of the KCAE and the Fly Kansas Foundation, said that it also helped spread the message that aviation is for everyone.

Merrill Atwater, KDOT’s Director of Aviation, said that it’s important to recognize the important role aviation plays in Kansas.

“Aviation generates over $20 billion to the state’s gross domestic product,” Atwater said. “Kansas has such a rich history of aviation and it is important for us to celebrate this industry and who we are as Kansans.”

Atwater said it is important that local communities with airports understand the asset that they have and that aviation is a career path.

A row of planes that flew in the Fly Kansas Air Tour.

“Each community should know what role aviation plays locally and how it helps drive the state’s economy,” Atwater said.

The tour made stops in several communities in Kansas: Wellington, Liberal, Dodge City, Hays, Concordia, Atchison, Olathe, Pittsburg, Independence and it wrapped up in Benton on Sept. 30.

“We are humbled to have such a support for the Fly Kansas Air Tour,” Atwater said. “The KDOT Aviation staff did an outstanding job on delivering an incredible experience to all involved.”

Check out our recap video of the Fly Kansas Air Tour!