KDOT celebrates 25 years at Kansas State Fair

State fair: The 2017 Kansas State Fair marks the 25th consecutive year KDOT has participated in the annual event to help educate and serve the public. This year’s fair will run from Sept. 8-17 and attracts about 335,000 attendees annually.

KDOT Employees unload supplies this week that will be used for the duration of the State Fair.

Records show that KDOT had a booth at various times until 1976. In 1993, Anita Helt, former Chief of the Public Affairs Office, thought it was important for KDOT to have a presence at the state fair again. Informational Specialist Kim Stich in Topeka and Senior Engineering Technician John Wiens in the District Five Office worked together the first year and have been working on it together ever since. 

In this photo from 2010, KDOT employees unload supplies from the dump truck that would be used for the 10 days of the fair.

The first two years, Wiens drove a minivan up to pick up supplies for the booth. That quickly was increased to a dump truck to hold up to 120 cases of state maps, thousands of promotional items and various brochures. It takes six to 10 KDOT staff up to three days to unload the supplies, set up backdrops and prepare for visitors.

KDOT's booth has been in four different locations in the Eisenhower Building on the fairgrounds. Every year, KDOT employees work to organize all the supplies, set up the back drops and set up the tables.

The first two years, Wiens drove a minivan up to pick up supplies for the booth. That quickly was increased to a dump truck to hold up to 120 cases of state maps, thousands of promotional items and various brochures. It takes six to 10 KDOT staff up to three days to unload the supplies, set up backdrops and prepare for visitors.

The KDOT booth has always been in the Eisenhower Building, but it has moved to four different booth locations. It started as a 10-foot by 10-foot booth with little storage. Boxes of supplies had to be brought to the booth each morning. After several years, a safety booth was added and the booths moved to a 20-foot by 15-foot location with storage included behind.

During those 25 years, five Governors of Kansas have served as well as five District Engineers in District Five. The times may change, but the commitment to the Kansas State Fair remains strong. 

KDOT employee John Wiens, in center in green shirt, accepts

a 15-year participation certificate from State Fair staff in 2007.

KDOT employee Pancho Smith talks to people stopping by

the KDOT booth in 2016.

“Over these 25 years, operating the KDOT Kansas State Fair booth has become a proud tradition of District Five,” said District Engineer Brent Tierstriep. “Numerous District staff members, ranging from Shop Mechanics, Engineering Technicians, Equipment Operators, various office staff to District Engineers have manned the booth to interact with the public, represent the agency, answer questions and help people learn about KDOT.”

Stich agreed with Tierstriep. “Bottom line - our KDOT booth is successful because of all the dedicated District Five employees,” she said.

For more information on the fair, go to www.kansasstatefair.com.

Flashback to 1993

While 2017 is the 25th consecutive year KDOT will participate in the Kansas State Fair, many significant events and pop culture moments took place in 1993:

uTy Warner USA launched the first Beanie Babies that created a national craze.

uModern technology was developing with the introduction of the Pentium microprocessor by Intel and the birth of the World Wide Web was born at CERN. 

uThe Waco siege on the compound belonging to the religious group Branch Davidians by American federal and Texas state law enforcement and U.S. military occurred.

uNelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

uFor the first time, Islamic Fundamentalists bomb the World Trade Center.

uThe North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is signed into law by former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

uBlockbuster hits included “Jurassic Park,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “The Fugitive,” “The Firm” and “Sleepless in Seattle.” Other popular film favorites included “Free Willy,” “The Sandlot,” “Hocus Pocus” and “Groundhog Day.”

uAverage costs at that time - a gallon of gas, $1.16; a movie ticket, $4.14; a new car, $12,750.00; a loaf of bread, $1.57; and tuition to Harvard University, $23,514.00.

KDOT employees Bob Grand and Sunny McElheny work at the fair booth in 1993. KDOT is
celebrating 25 years of serving and educating Kansas State Fair attendees. 

Work Zone Wednesday: Construction progress continues in Wichita

Wichita has three multi-year U.S. 54 freeway projects in motion and drivers see constant progress as they pass through the work zones.

In west Wichita, the first of four phases to rebuild the I-235/U.S. 54 interchange is scheduled to open to unrestricted traffic in the summer of 2019. Many of the challenges the estimated 150,000 daily drivers face as they navigate through the interchange will be addressed in the “Red Project.”

Some of the features include:

• A two-lane flyover ramp from southbound I-235 to eastbound U.S. 54
• A flyover ramp from northbound I-235 to westbound U.S. 54
• Elimination of two cloverleaf ramps that create merging challenges
• Complete reconstruction of four ramps at West Street, an interchange just east of the system-to-system interchange of I-235 and U.S. 54
• Auxiliary lanes on I-235 from U.S. 54 to Central Avenue
• Increased presence of WICHway, the Intelligent Transportation System that includes cameras, traffic sensors, message boards and a website to inform drivers of traffic adjustments and travel times.

Construction on the project affects traffic in many ways and news of lane and ramp closures can be found at www.235red.org.

The prime contractor on the four-year project is Dondlinger Construction of Wichita. To document their progress, they use a drone to capture video. Watch the July update.

What about the other two multi-year U.S. 54 freeway projects? They are on the east side of Wichita. The projects are adjacent and create a continuous construction area from the Kansas Turnpike’s toll plaza at mile 50 to the K-96/East Kellogg interchange. The finishing touches on that work zone will come in 2021. Check back for an update on those projects soon.

Motoring Mondays: Crawford County

     Crawford County is considered the Fried Chicken Capital of Kansas and dubbed one of the 8 wonders of Kansas Cuisine.

     Since 1930, Crawford County has been known for these six restaurants serving up hearty plates of delicious fried chicken and Frontenac Bread, which is served with every meal.

     Chicken Annie's Original, Pittsburg.

     Chicken Annie’s was founded in 1934 by Annie Pichler. The restaurant has been passed down through generations of the Pichler family.

     Chicken Mary's, Pittsburg.

     What started as a hobby became a business when Mary Zerngast, a German Immigrant, initiated Chicken Mary’s in 1945. It continues to be owned and operated by the Zerngast family.

     Gebhardt's Chicken and Dinners, Mulberry.

Ted Gebhardt, an Army veteran, started up Gebhardt’s in 1942 with his wife, Meg.

     Barto's Idle Hour, Frontenac.

     Ray Barto launched his restaurant in the 1950s and became known for hosting polka band performances at his restaurant.

     Chicken Annie's Pichler's, Pittsburg.

     Opened by Louis and Louella Lipoglav, the daughter of the Annie Pichler, founder of       Chicken Annie’s, in 1971.

    Chicken Annie's Girard, Girard.

    The restaurant was open by Anthony Pichler, grandson of Annie Pichler, founder of  Chicken Annie’s, in 1970.
    To view the restaurants’ hours, days they are open, locations and brief descriptions about each place, visit Crawford County Fried Chicken.

Work Zone Wednesday: A closer look at maintenance efforts across the state

There are many unsung heroes that work along the side of the roads and behind the scenes to help maintain the highways. In today’s Work Zone Wednesday, we will look at a few ways KDOT maintenance crews work to keep Kansas moving.

Mowing
Troy Whitworth, KDOT’s Assistant to the Director of Operations, said one of the ways KDOT maintains the highways is by mowing any excessively tall grass and weedy areas around intersections, curve ramps and entrances. Mowing these areas helps to improve sight distance.  He said KDOT crews usually operate medium duty farm type tractors with brush hog mowers that have 10 feet or 15 feet mower decks.

Burke Richter, a KDOT Equipment Operatorr, mows grass along U.S 156 east of Garden City. 

Some grasses and plants that grow alongside Kansas highways are visually appealing and serve as natural habitat for wildlife. Because of this, KDOT has partnered with the Kansas Audubon Society to develop a mowing policy that accomplishes roadside management that is both beautiful and functional along our roadways.

David Shaw, a KDOT Equipment Operator, mows grass along the U.S. 50 bypass near Dodge City.

Painting

KDOT maintenance truck lays down fresh painted
lines along the highway. 

Whitworth said that painting lines on our highways provides traffic guidance and are important to let drivers know where they are while driving on the roadway.

“Painting pavement lines provides defined lanes for the traveling public to drive in,” Whitworth said. “By using the painted lines, you will know if you are driving on two-lane roadway with head-to-head traffic or a multi-lane highway where the traffic is all traveling the same direction. Without the pavement lines, you may not have a frame of reference for the roadway at times of low light, night time or during inclement weather.”

KDOT’s paint is embedded with reflective glass beads that cause light refraction, which makes the lines glow when headlights shine on them at night. The longevity of the reflective lines can vary and sometimes maintenance crews are dispatched to repaint the lines, especially after a bad winter. Snow plows can damage the pavement markings by scraping off the reflective beads while clearing the roadways.

Signing

KDOT Maintenance crews update a speed limit sign in this photo from 2011.

Whitworth said that there are three types of signs along the roadway: Regulatory, warning and guide signs. Regulatory signs alert drivers of the laws and regulations that are enforceable. Warning signs guide the driver when it comes to making important decisions on how to operate the vehicle. Guide signs provide the driver with navigational information.

KDOT signs are typically made of aluminum metal sheets and are cut or stamped out of the shape that is required for a specific sign, such as an octagonal stop sign.

KDOT crews install signs along state highways.

“The adhesive material that is applied to the aluminum shape may have a reflective quality to it and is pressed into the aluminum shape,” Whitworth said. “Typically, the sign shape has holes that are cut during the stamping process, which allows workers to mount the sign.”

There are times when a sign may need to be repaired or replaced.

“If the sign face is worn, faded or the reflective sheeting is damaged, we may need to replace the sign if it no longer serves its purpose,” Whitworth said.

KDOT maintenance workers face several challenges while working along the highways.

“Traffic and traffic control are some of the challenges of working on the roadway,” Whitworth said. “Traffic speeds and inattentive drivers can really cause issues during any work that is being done on or near the roadway. Our employees are also out in extreme conditions throughout the various seasons.”

Remember to slow down in work zones and always be aware of your surroundings. Never use your cell phone while driving and look out for highway workers.

Inside a KDOT maintenance shop

At any point during the year, you may see maintenance crews working along highways or clearing roads to keep Kansas moving. But have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in a Kansas Department of Transportation maintenance shop?

A slope mower was being worked on at the KDOT
District One Area Four Shop in Topeka. 

At the KDOT District One, Area Four Shop in Topeka, miracles and memories are being made every day, according to James “Jim Bob” Beauchamp, a KDOT Equipment Mechanic.

When we visited the shop, there were a few agency machines that were being worked on. A slope mower was being modified for the specialized purpose of maintaining landscape upkeep in Kansas’ capital city.

Manufactured in 2009, the slope mower reaches challenging mowing places easily and keeps the Topeka area looking its best.  Because the rocky slopes of Topeka can be difficult to mow, KDOT mechanics are strengthening their original slope mower. According to Jim Bob, the frame of the mower was cracked from the stress it was put under. In addition to ordering a new frame, the KDOT mechanics also had the frame welded in short segments and then welded it to reinforce the frame and enhance its durability. They were also rebuilding the engine of the slope mower.

A Bobcat was being worked on at the KDOT  District One Area Four 

Shop in Topeka. 

Mechanics at the shop were also working on a Bobcat. This piece of machinery is used for maintenance, such as digging holes, cleaning up job sites, concrete patching, asphalt repair, removing brush and lifting and loading trucks using fork attachments.

The Bobcat was in the shop because it needed a new drive motor. The machine is powered by hydraulics and needs the drive motor to pump oil.

According to Jim Bob, once the drive motor is set in place, the hydraulic pump provides motive power to work. The drive motor propels the machine forward, and pumps oil. This part is also important because it gives the machine turning ability and allows it to spin around.

KDOT employees across the state work hard in all our district and area shops, and they are essential to the work the agency does for Kansans. By providing important maintenance to state equipment, they help keep Kansas moving.

Motoring Mondays: The International Pancake Day Hall of Fame

The International Pancake Day Hall of Fame, located in Liberal, commemorates the internationally known Pancake Race, which happens every year on Shrove Tuesday in February.

The racing competition was initiated in 1950 between Liberal and Olney, England, and centers on women running down town streets while flipping pancakes, simultaneously in each city.

 In addition to the pancake race, the town of Liberal also hosts pancake eating contests, flipping contests, a parade and other festivities.

The Hall of Fame was created in 2005 and is dedicated to preserving the history of Pancake Day through the years. It serves as the headquarters for the acclaimed event on Shrove Tuesday.

The Hall of Fame is also used as a gathering place for community events and educational purposes.

This facility operates by appointment only, but International Pancake Day is open to everyone.

Visit International Pancake Day to learn more about Liberal’s most exciting day of the year and the headquarters that runs it.

Special Delivery: Large aircraft transported across multiple states requires extra planning

The F-35 production aircraft made its way through South Central Kansas and Wichita on Monday, Aug. 21 

It was a long but successful trip as Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas, provided an F-35 production aircraft to the National Institute for Aircraft Research in Wichita as part of an aircraft disassembly program.

This is a non-flying production aircraft, and as such, required transportation over the road on a specially-designed fixture/trailer. The aircraft has been disassembled to the smallest dimension possible, but the aircraft still requires an oversize permit for transport through Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

The fuselage and shipping fixture weighs approximately 27,000 pounds. It is 48 feet long, 35.5 feet wide and 9.5 feet high. The aircraft’s travel route started in Ft. Worth on Aug. 19 and entered Oklahoma on Aug. 20. It traveled through Kansas on Aug. 21 along U.S. 77, K-15 and I-135 until it reached its final destination 2.5 miles east of Valley Center before noon.

The F-35 production aircraft made its way through South Central Kansas and Wichita on Monday, Aug. 21 

“They had a pretty good escort from the KHP and some other law enforcement officers, as well as our own KDOT maintenance folks,” said Wichita Metro Engineer Don Snyder. “ All of the on ramps were properly blocked off to keep the load moving down the road without any interference from other traffic.”

KDOT’s Director of Aviation Merrill Atwater said that transporting an aircraft of this size doesn’t happen very often in this part of the country.

“The aircraft is incredible,” Atwater said.  “How cool is it that we had the opportunity to help manage the logistics for taking an aircraft across about one-third of our state without any hiccups? That’s a lot of coordination and effort and those involved in the planning process deserve big kudos for getting that done.”