A project to construct a right-turn lane on
the west leg of the intersection of U.S. 169 and 175th Street is one
of the projects approved for KDOT’s April letting. Mega Industries
Corporation, of N Kansas City, Mo., is the contractor on the $362,000 project.
The work consists of several improvements
such as:
sUpgrading the traffic signal poles serving
175th Street to include a protected/permissive signal (four-section head) over
the existing left turn lanes.
sUpgrading all signal heads to LED and adding
battery backup to the traffic signal system.
sAdding interconnection with the signal
operation – this includes flashing beacons for 175th traffic signals and 199th
traffic signal approaches.
To see all of the approved projects in the
April letting, click here.
KDOT crews across Western Kansas worked to clear the roads during the snow storm that took place last weekend. This photo is from U.S. 83 south of Garden City. Photo courtesy of Leland Hunsley
We’ve all heard the saying “April showers bring May
flowers.” For the eastern half of the state, the month of April ended with
plenty of rain but some Kansans were bombarded with several inches of snow over
the weekend.
Western Kansas received several inches of snow over the weekend. KDOT crews worked to clear the roads and keep Kansas moving. Courtesy photo.
This rare mid-spring snow storm prompted road and highway
closures across Western Kansas due to weather conditions, reduced visibility,
and lodging concerns. Several communities lost power for periods of time during
the storm.
Parts of Northwest Kansas received approximately 20 inches of snow. This photo shows The process of clearing I-70 near Levant.
Some parts of Northwest Kansas received
approximately 20 inches of snow, and the precipitation amounts in extreme
Southwest Kansas were also more than a foot.
Lisa Knoll, the KDOT Public Affairs Manager from the District Office in Garden
City, said KDOT crews faced high winds, power outages, downed power poles, and
high snow drifts while clearing the roads. Loose livestock in Kearny County
created additional problems.
“Livestock often end up loose due to downed fences or snow
drifts high enough for the cows to cross,” Knoll said. “Approximately 40 cows
got loose Saturday night and crossed U.S. 50 and wandered into Lakin. They
spent Sunday afternoon wandering and then spent the night in a backyard before
being corralled Monday afternoon.”
Due to high snow drifts, livestock in Kearney County were able to escape and visit Lakin for several hours before being rounded up. Courtesy photo.
Knoll also said that KDOT crews assisted stranded motorists
while clearing the roadways.
In an article by the Wichita Eagle, Kansas Highway Patrol
Trooper Tod Hileman said that as of Sunday Evening, more than 30 motorists reported
“slide-outs” in Northwest Kansas and there had been at least two non-injury crashes.
KDOT crews across Western Kansas worked to clear the roads during the snow storm that took place last weekend. This photo is from U.S. 83 south of Garden City. Photo courtesy of Leland Hunsley
While spring snow storms may not happen often,
this weekend proved that weather conditions in Kansas can be unpredictable.
Motorists need to be prepared for the unexpected and monitor road conditions
before traveling long distances.
KDOT crews across Western Kansas worked to clear the roads during the snow storm that took place last weekend. This photo is from U.S. 83 south of Garden City. Photo courtesy of Leland Hunsley
You can be prepared by accessing www.kandrive.org
or by calling 511 to stay up to date on Kansas road conditions that may be
impacted by weather or construction delays.
Last Thursday, Governor Sam Brownback signed a proclamation that designates the month of May as Motorcycle Awareness Month. The proclamation states:
“TO THE PEOPLE OF KANSAS, GREETINGS:
WHEREAS, many Kansans are concerned about making our streets
and highways safe for motor vehicles, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrian traffic,
and
WHEREAS, many organizations have demonstrated that concern,
including ABATE of Kansas, the American Motorcyclist Association, Motorcycle
Riders Foundation, motorcycle clubs and riding groups, Kansas rider education programs,
and Kansas motorcycle dealers and
WHEREAS, education, awareness, and safe driving habits for
motorcyclists, motor vehicle operators, and bicyclists are high priorities
worthy of special recognition and wider public interest:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Sam Brownback, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF
KANSAS, do hereby proclaim May of 2017, as
Motorcycle Awareness
Month
in Kansas and urge all motorcyclists, bicyclists, and other
motorists to participate in this effort to promote safe driving habits through
increased education and public awareness. “
Governor Sam Brownback signed a proclamation designating the month of May as Motorcycle Awareness Month on Thursday, April 27.
KDOT encourages riders and motorists to be aware and share the road. Looking twice before you make a traffic move may safe a life.
KDOT implemented the zipper merge (or late merge) last year.
When a lane was closed in a construction zone, the "zipper merge" occurred when drivers used both lanes up until they reached the defined merge area. They then took turns in a "zipper" fashion into the open lane.
If you didn't have a chance to experience this project, here are some caterpillars who can help demonstrate how the process worked.
We don't know where these little guys were headed, but they probably got there safely and efficiently using the zipper merge technique!
In honor of the last week’s Earth day and the upcoming Arbor Day, here are some ways KDOT works to protect the environment while building and maintaining the highways.
One of many wetlands that KDOT worked to improve around the South Lawrence Trafficway.
KDOT's Environmental Services Section reviews KDOT projects
and KDOT sponsored projects across the state that have the potential to impact
the environment. These impacts can affect human and natural environments, and
many projects must be cleared and permitted on a local, state and federal
level. Each of these reviews must evaluate potential impacts a project
can have on noise, air quality, archeologic and historical resources, Native
American lands, farmland, hazardous waste, storm-water erosion control,
threatened and endangered species and impacts to wetlands and streams.
An erosion control blanket is one way that KDOT works to protect the surrounding land so rain water won't wash the grass and mulch away.
One example is a project in Cherokee County
on K-7 to widen and raise the roadway plus add 10-foot shoulders for safety and
flooding reasons. This project requires two channel changes to local streams,
will fill some small wetland areas and possibly affect the habitat of a
state-threatened chorus frog called the Spring Peeper.
The Spring Peeper is a threatened chorus frog species and KDOT is working to create more habitat pools for this small amphibian. Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
To offset these impacts, KDOT designed new
stream channels using the principles of natural channel design. In addition to
the new channel, a planting bench is being added along each streambank with
Sandbar Willow and Pin Oak trees to be planted to add stability to the stream.
Outside of the planting bench, a new riparian area will be planted with native
trees such as Bur Oak and Shellbark Hickory plus native grasses making up a
50-foot buffer along each side of the new stream channel.
Inside each bend of the new stream channel, a
new wetland area was designed where a wetland seed mix will be planted and
bitternut hickory and Pin Oaks will be placed around the edges. These wetland
areas, or ‘Peeper Pools.’ are to create habitat for the threatened Spring
Peeper. In addition to these pools, stretches of the old stream channel and its
riparian area that were not needed to be graded and filled will be preserved
for additional habitat. To restore aquatic passage to upstream segments,
a perched culvert will replaced with an embedded or ‘buried’ culvert.
All in all this project will create more than
3,300 feet of new stream and riparian area, build six various sized Peeper
Pools and plant more than 5,400 trees.
Riparian areas have been created and updated throughout the state, with more streams and areas to come.
The telephone has come a long way since it was first
invented in 1876. Today, those telephones are portable mini-computers that help
us navigate this fast-paced world. We
may even feel the constant pull to multi-task and gather more information while
we travel.
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as multi-tasking. If
your mind is focused on your cell phone, the radio, eating, or even talking
with passengers while you drive, there could be deadly consequences.
There were 432 traffic fatalities in Kansas last year and
The National Safety Council said that 40,200 people died in crashes across the
United States.
Many of those fatalities could be attributed to distracted
driving, including the use of mobile phones.
The Federal Communications Commission has some sobering
distracted driving statistics:
- Over 8 people are killed and 1,161 are injured
daily in incidents reported as distraction
affected crashes in the United
States.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration reported that in 2015, there were 3,477
people killed and an
estimated additional 391,000 people injured in motor vehicle crashes
involving distracted drivers.
- At any given daylight moment across America,
approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell
phones or manipulating electronic
devices while driving, a number that has held steady since
2010.
- In 2015, the National Occupant Protection Use
Survey reported that handheld cell phone
use continued to be highest among
16-24 year old drivers.
For as often as we discuss the dangers of distracted
driving, the numbers continue to rise. We need your help to get the message out
to friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors that lives are on the line every
time they use a phone while driving.
Be an example- You
know that it is not safe to text and drive. You may know that no message,
snapchat, social media post or Tweet is worth risking lives over. So act on
that knowledge and teach others to do the same.
If you are teaching a new driver how to operate a vehicle, educate them
on the importance of putting your phone away.
If you need to make a phone call, or check your phone, pull
over to a safe place and answer or text before you return to the roadway.
Speak up- If you see a driver you
are riding with texting or using social media, tell them to put their phone
away while they are driving. It may seem hard to speak up, but be brave - it
could save lives.
Check out this powerful video from NHTSA and see how sending a message while driving could be the last words someone will ever say.
Earth Day is this Saturday and it is a great reminder that we have the power to
make our environment safe, clean and beautiful.
One way to help keep Kansas clean is through the
Adopt-A-Highway program. This national program began in 1989.
Trash can be an unsightly problem. Participation in the program not only helps
the environment; it also gives non-profit groups an opportunity to be active in
their community and it saves tax dollars.
Here are some tips on how you can keep our state looking great:
How you can join Any non-profit group that does not discriminate on the basis of race,
religion, color or gender can participate in KDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program by
calling your closest KDOT office. Phone
numbers and application forms can be found at the Adopt-A-Highway
Website.
Volunteers should have the following qualifications before heading out:Good physical
condition, including sight and hearing
Mental alertness - don’t participate if you are tired or
drowsy.
A sense of responsibility for the safety of the public and
the crew.
A willingness to use good common sense.
Group members must be at least 11 years old and have
adequate adult supervision,
Once you join
Most highway sections are two miles long. Groups that adopt
a Kansas highway must agree to remove litter at least three times a year for
two years per their convenience.
There is no cost to join the group – KDOT provides trash
bags and safety vests.
Please contact your KDOT office before a scheduled cleanup.
Volunteers should only pick up litter along one side of the
highway at a time and only work during daylight hours.
It is encouraged that volunteers carpool to the destination
to reduce the number of vehicles needed and only park in the recommended areas.
Wear bright and light clothing with long sleeves if
possible. Also wear a hat, sunscreen, insect replant and proper footware.
Be alert. Be aware of traffic at all times and if you see
any suspected toxic/hazardous chemicals or dead animals, DO NOT try to handle
or remove them. Notify your nearest KDOT office, the Kansas Highway Patrol, or
local police department.
However you decide to get involved, it’s important to be
safe while helping your community. For more tips, check out the Adopt-A-Highway
website mentioned earlier.
