Seat belt enforcement now underway near area high schools

In 2018, nearly half of all Kansas teens who died in traffic crashes were not wearing a seat belt, that reflects a similar statistic of nearly 50 percent of all traffic deaths in Kansas were unbuckled. 

That's one of the many reasons why the Kansas Highway Patrol, area law enforcement agencies and agencies in both Missouri and Oklahoma will participate in the annual “High Visibility Seat Belt Enforcement Campaign” near area high schools. The enforcement campaign began yesterday and it will run through March 8. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA) seat belts have been proven to be one of the best ways to keep drivers and passengers safe in the case of a crash. 

This initiative is coupled with the Seat Belts Are for Everyone (SAFE) program in Kansas’ high schools. SAFE is a locally sustained program, administered by the students of the high school they attend.  The focus is on reducing deaths and injuries on Kansas roadways. Currently in Kansas, 168 high schools from 70 counties participate in the SAFE program. www.ktsro.org/safe


“Troopers will be working with local law enforcement partners in an aggressive education and enforcement campaign focused on the importance of seat belt usage,” said Colonel Mark Bruce, Superintendent of the KHP. “Seat belts have been proven to save lives and prevent injuries, and our goal is to make sure all young adults buckle up in all seating positions.” 

Everyone is reminded to buckle up. Every trip. Every time. 

Public invited to Transit Day at the Capitol on Feb. 27

The public is invited to attend the annual Transit Day at the Capitol in Topeka from 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Feb. 27. 

It is hosted by the Kansas Department of Transportation and the Kansas Public Transit Association.

Meet the state’s service providers, tour new transit and para-transit vehicles, learn how transit reinforces economic development in the state and find out more about new technologies being used. 

The free event will include display tables in the first-floor rotunda and vehicles available to tour outside on the apron surrounding the capitol. A briefing on public transportation in Kansas will take place at 10 a.m. that day in the first-floor rotunda area.

Speakers will include:

• KDOT Division of Planning and Development Director Chris Herrick,
• House Transportation Chair Rep. Richard Proehl,
• Senate Transportation Chair Sen. Mike Petersen,
• Anne Smith, Chair of the Kansas Public Transit Association.

The event highlights the work that more than 150 different agencies from across the state do to provide transit and para-transit services to people across Kansas.

“Public transit is here for all – rural, urban, young and old alike. It supports the local economy and gives access to jobs and healthcare,” said KDOT Public Transit Manager Mike Spadafore. “Transit Day will give everyone the opportunity to learn about transit and para-transit services in Kansas and our goal of keeping the people of Kansas living in and connected to their communities for as long as possible.”

Hot News: Damaged steel bridge girders can be repaired

By Tom Hein, Wichita Public Affairs Manager

In December 2018, a large load struck the underside of a KDOT bridge on K-96 near Maize.

 Extensive damage to steel girders was obvious but the distortions were deemed repairable.

In December 2018, damage to the underside of a bridge on K-96 near Maize occurred.  

In January, a contractor was hired to use a heat straightening process to repair the damaged girders. Steel has a memory and generally wants to go back to its original shape. 

Contractors were hired to repair the underside of the bridge by using a heat straightening process. 

By heating in the right place and at the right temperature, as the steel cools from brief heating process, the metal shrinks and pushes back to its original shape.

Along with using the heat straightening process, other tools like clamps and hydraulic jacks are used to fix the bridge. 

Besides judiciously placed heatings, clamps and hydraulic jacks are used to help influence the return of the steel to its former shape.

The bridge on K-96 is now repaired. 

After seven days of the heat straightening process, the bridge damage has been reversed. 

In a 2008 report, The Federal Highway Administration cited that heat straightening can be traced to the early days of welding. Experiments to reverse distortions by heating steel in specific patterns were successful. Originally considered more art form than a scientific process, the techniques eventually generated wide-spread acceptance through engineering evaluation and research. Today, heat straightening is considered an accepted science and will continue to be used when necessary.

My Kansas 511: More ways to get you the information you need to travel

By Tom Hein,

Wichita Public Affairs Manager 

Most travelers are familiar with the 511 phone resource, the national roadway information system initiated by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration and operating in 35 states (including Kansas). But many are not aware that alerts on highway closures or other situations that might affect a trip or daily commute can be pushed directly to their smartphone or home computer.

My Kansas 511 is a free service providing drivers with up-to-the-minute information via alerts by email or text messages. To subscribe to the service, create an account at www.safetravelusa.com/ks/login.

You can now tailor this service to your needs, choosing days of the week and time slots that you want alerts to be sent. Then you will choose your preferences for notification on flooded roadways, highway closures, severe weather conditions or specific traffic alerts, like the ones offered by WICHway, Wichita’s intelligent transportation system management center.

Next you can choose the highways for which you need information. Because Kansas highways often traverse the entire state, you can choose only those segments that apply to your travels.

After setting your parameters, the service will push out relevant information when an event or problem occurs. With your newly created My Kansas 511 account, you can tweak these settings so that you’re never overwhelmed with too much information. This can happen during volatile spring weather if you choose to receive, for instance, all Kansas thunderstorm warnings.

Give the service a trial run – you can always unsubscribe. And of course, we advise drivers to check these messages only when they are NOT actively driving.

Don’t plow into our snow plows

Photo Courtesy: Kansas Highway Patrol. Traffic follows behind KDOT snow plows on Friday, Feb. 15.

This winter has felt like it has dragged on forever. Our crews have been out fighting snow more this season than in several winters’ past. Each time it snows, we encourage drivers to be more aware of our equipment on the roads.

“Don’t crowd the plows,” and “Help us help you, give our crews room.” 

Unfortunately, our crews still get hit and the results are usually very serious. Some drivers who have hit plows have lost their lives and others have walked away with a minor injuries and massive repair bill to their personal vehicles.

Last weekend, travelers smashed into five of our snow plows in Johnson County. And another plow was hit in the Topeka Metro Area on Friday night.

In an interview with KCTV5, Drake Jennings, KDOT Highway Maintenance Superintendent, said that drivers hit the plows when they were trying to pass them, before the lanes were even plowed. 

Damage to one of our plows, after it was struck by a vehicle from the past weekend's storm.

Even though our trucks could still operate, time was lost. Each time one of our trucks is hit, it takes time to fill out paperwork and assess the damage. Doing so can take an hour or more depending on how bad the situation is. 

When it comes to clearing roadways, losing time means the roadways can’t be cleared as quickly. 

During inclement weather there are some things we’d like drivers to keep in mind:

1. Plow trucks drive at speeds slower than the posted speeds to help them direct snow properly and apply the right quantities of salt behind them.  Once snow or sleet start falling, mentally prepare for the fact that not only will be roads be slick, but also that you could come upon a slow-moving plow on your drive. 
   
   
2. Don’t attempt to pass our trucks.  Many of the crashes with plow trucks involve drivers fish-tailing on the way around the plow. And, nNot only is the lane that is currently being plowed probably the safest lane to travel in, but visibility as you come around and in front of the plow is usually a lot worse   When road conditions are slick, we ask for a little extra patience from everyone so the roads can get treated quicker.
   
   
3. Be aware that tow-plows can take up to two lanes and the blades could be hidden beneath the snow.  Visibility going around the plows is the factor in many of the crashes recently.
4. It’s important for drivers to slow down for conditions, even when we’ve been out treating.  During winter conditions, especially as we transition into and out of storms, patchy ice is always a possibility, especially on bridges, ramps and overpasses. 
   
   
5. Don’t drive distracted. On a normal day it takes 100 percent focus to drive safely, and in winter weather conditions that focus is even more crucial to driving safely.

Your KDOT crews work hard to serve Kansans, often putting their own lives on the line to keep our roads and highways safe. Please give our crews, emergency responders and law enforcement room to work when we are out on the roads, so we can get things back to normal as quickly and safely as possible.

KDOT: A Farmer’s Workplace

KDOT employs many farmers across the state. Here are a few who work in north central Kansas.

Ashley Tammen,

Public Affairs Manager, north central Kansas

For several KDOT employees, operating equipment happens both on the job and in the fields. Several of the KDOT employees in north central Kansas have taken up farming as a side job or hobby, or they help a fellow farmer during the busy seasons. Their supervisors said that the hard work that is instilled in them as farmers and their experience operating equipment makes them great employees at KDOT. 

Here are a few stories of KDOT farmers:

Tom Wendell in Beloit has experience not only as an Equipment Operator working for KDOT, but he also raises livestock and runs a farm. Wendell has been with KDOT for 42 years and raises cattle, sheep and goats. He plants and bales his own hay, which he uses to feed them in the evenings after getting home from work.

 “Sometimes I have gotten home at 8:30 p.m., after working a 12-hour shift at KDOT and after going out to the barn to check on the lambs I discover a baby is born so I am out there till 1:30 or 2 a.m. helping take care of the newborn lamb,” said Wendell.

Ed Dohl, Equipment Operator in Lincoln, does a little bit of everything when it comes to farming. He has cattle, sheep, wheat, milo, soybeans, a horse and even a mule. Dohl says a typical day for him starts with chores on the farm and putting wood in the wood stove before heading to work. Dohl says KDOT is a good place for a farmer to work and he likes the early summer hours, so he can get off early and work on the farm.

Rodney Howard, Highway Maintenance Supervisor in Burr Oak, grew up on his family farm and started with KDOT in September 1977 as an Equipment Operator in Mankato. He has continued farming while working for KDOT and now supervises the crew in Mankato. Howard farms about 150 acres of wheat and 150 acres of soybeans on his family farm. 

“KDOT has been very good to me and my family, and I have tried to be helpful in return,” said Howard.

 “I enjoy working for KDOT. There’s great benefits, flexibility to help farm, and it’s nice that we’re not always doing the same thing because jobs change from season to season,” said Lance Wilton, Equipment Operator Specialist in Lincoln.

These are only some of their stories, and many KDOT employees also help with harvest and planting every year. KDOT appreciates these farmers for their hard work and being part of the KDOT team!

Governor outlines T-WORKS projects, additional investments to move forward with transportation funding

Governor Laura Kelly and Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz announce plans to invest $160 million in revenue included in the FY2020 budget.

Governor Laura Kelly joined Kansas Secretary of Transportation Julie Lorenz to announce the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) plans to invest $160 million in revenue that is included in the Governor’s FY 2020 budget for transportation.

Governor Kelly addresses the audience and announces four delayed T-WORKS projects across Kansas will resume construction.

The $160 million comes from reducing the amount of money transferred out of the State Highway Fund. Since 2011, more than $2 billion has been transferred out of the State Highway Fund, causing costly project delays, reduced highway preservation work, a decline in the health of our highway system and an inability to plan for future projects.

“With this $160 million in revenue, we will strengthen our highway system, take steps towards completing T-WORKS, and provide resources to communities across the state,” said Governor Laura Kelly.

“These are important steps forward, but to be clear, we still have a long way to go in order to get our transportation system where it should be.”

With the $160 million in FY 2020, KDOT will:

• Increase the highway preservation investment from $350 - $400 million
• Move forward with four delayed T-WORKS projects:
  o US-54 in Seward County (Expansion project; let for construction Fall 2019)
  o US-169 in Anderson County (Modernization project; let for construction Fall 2019)
  o US-281 in Russell County (Modernization project; let for construction Spring 2020)
  o US-50 in Lyon County (Expansion Project; let for construction Spring 2020)
• Reinstate the Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program
• Implement a new cost-share program for state/local partnerships
• Enhance its safety program
• Increase City Connecting Link maintenance payments
• Increase funding for modal programs (e.g., transit, aviation, rail and bike/pedestrian)

These investments are aligned with recommendations from the Joint Legislative Transportation Vision Task Force that met last year.

Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz discusses investments at a press conference held yesterday at KDOT Headquarters. 

“We look forward to working with communities and our partners across the state to deliver these investments,” said Secretary Julie Lorenz. 

“We know that funding reductions have impacted the health of our system. I’m so pleased to work with Governor Kelly to take this important step forward to achieving the goals the task force laid out and improving our state’s transportation system.”