KDOT materials designed for safety, with you in mind!

Have you ever thought about what KDOT looks for when choosing materials that are used in our transportation system? KDOT not only considers the amount of wear and tear materials can endure but also considers important aspects of each material that can impact your safety while driving. Over the years many improvements have been made to the materials KDOT uses in the transportation system with a focus on safety.

You may not think your safety can be impacted by a sign post or guardrail, but it can. James Roudybush, District Two Maintenance Engineer says KDOT has designed sign posts to break away in the chance of a collision. To do this, holes have been properly placed at the bottom of sign posts for breakaway and breakaway bases are placed at the bottom of steel sign posts. This allows the post to breakaway in the event of a collision, this design is intended to cause less damage. 

The material used to paint stripes on the roadway is also important. Mike Hahn, Paint Crew Supervisor in District Two, says KDOT tests the stripe material standard levels of retroreflectivity.

Pavement markings are more than just white or yellow paint. Research
and testing goes into the stripe material before they are applied to the road
surfaces. 

According to the Federal Highway Administration, retroreflectivity bounces light from vehicle headlights back toward the vehicle and the driver’s eyes, making the road markings recognizable from a greater distance.  Retroreflectivity also makes markings appear brighter and easier to see at night. Hahn says KDOT schedules the replacement of striping once their measurement of retroreflectivity drops below minimum the levels.

These are only a few improvements KDOT has made to the safety of materials that are used in the state’s transportation system. KDOT staff participates in national committees to keep up to date with research and also reviews new safety products that may be  used in our transportation system. KDOT will continue these efforts in the future to help meet the needs of the traveling public.  

Who designs the highways?

When KDOT undertakes any construction project, there’s always a team that leads that project, taking it from a study, through the coordination and design, to handing it off to the construction team to break ground. And every team has a leader responsible for implementing the project and coordinating all aspects. For the Lewis and Clark Viaduct, one of those key people is Debbie Tanking, a 13-year Road Design Engineer with KDOT and Project Manager for the I-70 westbound bridge replacement. 

The Lewis and Clark Viaduct project overhead map of alternative routes during the construction project.

“It’s a team effort,” Tanking said. “I worked with a lot of great people on this project.” Tanking’s team has been working on the Lewis and Clark Viaduct project since its inception in 2012, and it’s the biggest she’s seen in terms of traffic impact and the long-term options it delivers.

“We all knew this was going to be huge,” she said. “The coordination between all the stakeholders was one of the biggest challenges we faced as we developed proposed concepts.” 

A concept design of the partial reconstruction of the Lewis and Clark Viaduct I-70 WB bridge.

As a Road Design Engineer, it’s Tanking’s responsibility to understand how humans, vehicles and the roadway interact with each other. “We look at the geometry of the road to check factors such as curves, grades, sight distances and clearances so they are appropriate for the speeds, volume and uses the road is designed for.” Tanking said she takes pride in being part of a team whose work benefits Kansas long term.

“The great thing about being part of the KDOT team is that we all work here because we want to help make infrastructure work better for Kansas,” Tanking said. “All of us at KDOT have families that use our state’s roads and bridges. It’s one reason we try so hard to do the right thing.” 

No project, no matter how big or small, happens without a team of experts who work closely together and with all the stakeholders to plan, design and construct the roads and bridges. The $64 million bridge replacement addresses not only the projected expense of repairs that would have been needed to maintain the bridge long term if it had not been replaced, but also addresses the need for a future route of travel as downtown Kansas City continues to grow. It also addresses the commercial traffic, airport traffic and even the railway that passes under the bridge.

The Lewis and Clark Viaduct WB I-70 lanes closed last week for the duration of the project.

“The design process and construction can be difficult to work through but when things are back to normal and the traveling public appreciates the improvements, that’s the best feeling.”

Art and transportation: It all comes together

Art is way of communicating a message or a thought through visual creation and design.

There is a great deal of art that we may take for granted while traveling across Kansas roads: The way that highways are designed, how traffic signs use color and graphic design to communicate informative messages as we travel and how a bridge is created so that these infrastructures can bear the weight of thousands of vehicles a day traveling across them.

All of these aspects of transportation and more required an artist’s hand at some point and the end result, while not exactly something you can hang on your office or living room wall, are still incredible works that can be appreciated by experiencing them.

Along Kellogg/U.S. 54 in Wichita, travelers get the chance to experience the infrastructure and incredible bas-relief sculptures that were created by artist, Steven Weitzman.

Bas-relief sculptures are created when the sculpted elements remain attached to the background.

One of Weitzman’s sculptures in Wichita is a piece titled “Time Passages,” and it includes 36 cast stone bas-relief panels that span 16,000 square feet. It was created using form liners.

A section of Steven Weitzman's "Time Passages" sculpture from a distance. Photo Credit: Steven Weitzman creativedesignresolutions.com

Weitzman’s website, creativedesignresolutions.com, said this sculpture was selected as the aesthetic theme for the Kellogg/Oliver interchange. 
“The designs include quotations regarding the passage of time, monumental roman clocks, a 25-foot vertical working sundial and enormous leaves that appear to be scattered by the wind and passing vehicles,” the website said. “The quotation cast into the parapet fascia of the bridge serves as a pleasant reminder to the commuters that ‘The Journey is the reward.’”

A car drives past a secion of Steven Weitzman's bas-relief sculpture, "Time Passages" along Kellogg/U.S. 54. Photo credit: Steven Weitzman. creativedesignresolutions.com

We had the opportunity to interview the artist about his work, and his experiences as he creates other works similar to “Time Passages.” Weitzman explains how art is essential to transportation. 

What was your inspiration for placing these bas-relief sculptures along highways and bridges?

SW: Storytelling and discovery is the hallmark of my design work. At the Kellogg and Woodlawn interchange, you would discover a dynamic, non-repetitive bas-relief sculpture which is 25 feet high. This exciting, highly-detailed retaining wall affects changes with the movement of the sun. It was made entirely from only 36 form liners and also includes landscaped areas.  My projects have to be affordable for the client and easily fabricated by normal construction means and methods. In this case, we were able to create unlimited combinations and permutations showing stylized planted fields of the Kansas landscape as seen from high above simply by rotating and re-configuring the placement of these beautiful liner sections.

A section of a retaining wall at the Kellogg/Oliver Interchange in Wichita.Photo credit: Steven Weitzman. creativedesignresolutions.com

How are these works along highways created? How long can it take? 

SW: To begin with, I am normally brought on to serve as a liaison between a DOT and their engineers of record as well as their constituents to help translate the engineering requirements and needs of the DOT with the interests of their constituents. The final goal is to produce low cost (often 1 percent or under), low-maintenance, high-quality and site-specific safe infrastructure enhancements. I vet the information derived from these community outreach meetings and our own research with the DOT, and then I return to present the conceptual design to the community. This can include on-site computer models, highly realistic drive-throughs and fly-throughs, and any other means to accurately show the DOT and their constituents their aesthetic options and possible alternatives for their specific project. The timeline is usually predicated on the letting dates, but it can take as little as five months or as long as the engineering design team requires, since we coordinate with the engineering development.

A detail of the retaining wall texture at the Kellogg/Oliver interchange. Weitzman[ uses form liners in his work to create these bas-relief sculptures. Photo courtesy Steven Weitzman. creativedesignresolutions.com

What is the reception of these projects when they are installed? Who do they impact? 

SW: I have been humbled by the outpouring of compliments, gratitude, and awards my company has received over the years for our context-sensitive infrastructure projects. DOT Directors of Operations, District Engineers, community leaders, and constituents have expressed to me and my staff the positive effect our work has had in transforming the everyday lives of their citizens.  They appreciate the way we tell the story of their community through the art that my company, Creative Design Resolutions, creates for them.

What messages do these sculptures share with the communities that they are installed in?
 
SW: We tell the story of the place and the people it serves. That story begins with the community’s involvement and is balanced by the needs and requirements of the DOT.  When completed, it reflects the significance of the people, their environment, their history, and their future. We understand that people want to be proud of where they live. In this regard, transportation infrastructure projects function as local or regional landmarks, gateways to cities or other symbols for communities, and may thus make a strong impression on residents and visitors alike.

 A section of the bas-relief sculpture, "Time Passages" along Kellogg/U.S 54. Photo credit: Steven Weitzman. creativedesignresolutions.com

Do you feel that art and transportation can work together? If so, how?

SW: Absolutely.  They have to. First, the integration of the aesthetic enhancements must coordinate with the overall project timeline and fit with the budget. The art should also meet the community’s vision. Additionally, the chosen artist needs to be familiar with the engineering requirements of these types of projects.  They will need to work closely with the engineers of record throughout their engineering design process. This can be done in a more cost-effective way by getting the artist involved early in the engineering design phases of the project, because at that point many of the aesthetic decisions can be incorporated into the superstructure or base structure without adding any extra costs.

Mr. Weitzman, thank you for your time in answering these questions. Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about your work?


SW: I have been extremely fortunate to have worked in the transportation design and public art industries since 1971. My company, Creative Design Resolutions, was created in 1998 to focus solely on aesthetic integration in highway and transportation projects. Since that time, we have worked with many Departments of Transportation in the country and numerous architectural and engineering firms nationwide. I am gratified to have completed dozens of signature projects that may have had a small but lasting effect on the beauty of America's Interstate highway system.