KDOT employees revive military history

By Deb Gruver,
Public Affairs Manager for south central Kansas 

 Mic Huddleston jokes about how he got involved in helping restore World War II vehicles.

"Wrong place at the wrong time," he says with a chuckle.

Mic Huddleston, Area Supervisor for Area Four in District Five, right, chats with Kevin Lockwood about the World War II vehicles they have restored together.

But surrounded by some of the half-track and other vehicles his tinkering has helped brought back to life, it's obvious Huddleston loves spending time at Kevin Lockwood's spacious shop.

Huddleston is the Area Supervisor for District Five's Area Four in Great Bend. He's been helping restore Lockwood's WWII collection for about 20 years.

"This would not be here without Mic," Lockwood says.

Mic Huddleston has been helping Kevin Lockwood restore World War II vehicles for about 20 years. He says it's one way to honor those in his and Lockwood's family who have served in the military..

Both Huddleston's and Lockwood's families "have a good history of military service," Huddleston says.

Lockwood and his team of volunteers take the vehicles to schools, air shows and other events. Huddleston really enjoyed going to Fort Hays for Hays Days. 

Lockwood owns the vehicles. He bought his first one in 1990. Since then, he and the crew have restored about eight, including an LVT-3 Bushmaster, thought to be the only operational one of its kind in the world. Used in the Pacific Theater, it could load a Jeep or a canon and haul Marines onto a beach or rescue wounded.

"This is basically a ship that crawls on land," Lockwood says.

This LVT-3 Bushmaster is believed to be the only operational one in the world. 

An average restoration takes a couple of years, the two men say. About five people, including Lockwood, show regularly to help out. 

It's a lot of work, Huddleston says, but worth it.

"It's one way to pay back," he says.

This is what the LVT-3 Bushmaster that Kevin Lockwood, Mic Huddleston and other volunteers restored looked like when they first got it. Both vehicles were in about the same shape, and the crew decided to restore the other one.

A 'pawesome' story: KDOT crews rescue lost cat

Ron O’Neal was the first to hear the meow.

Equipment Operator Seniors Jorge Alvarado, Ryan Hunter and Ron O'Neal, shown left to right, helped get this cat out of a hole they were going to fill with concrete while working on the apron of a bridge at K-96 and Rock Road. They work out of the Wichita East Subarea shop

The Equipment Operator Senior and other members of the Wichita East Subarea crew were working on the apron of a bridge at K-96 and Rock Road, about to fill a hole with concrete. They stopped when O’Neal heard the plea for help.

This grey and white cat was saved by KDOT crews from Wichita.
He was reunited with his family. 

Equipment Operator Senior Ryan Hunter “sprang into action and dug him out of the hole,” Supervisor Ted Coleman said. “The hole was huge and required flowable fill. Ryan reached down about 3 feet to retrieve the kitty cat.” 

Coleman called Wichita Animal Control and took the cat home for the weekend, introducing him to his two dogs. It wasn’t the first time Coleman has gone above and beyond for animals. He once crossed four lanes of I-135 to rescue a dog that had been lost for several days. Coleman was recently featured in the #IAMDKOT series which illustrates that scene here: 

Workers at the Wichita Animal Shelter, which is situated next to the Kansas Humane Society, successfully scanned the cat for a microchip.

Turns out the kitty had been missing for a month and lived 12 miles away in Andover.

“The family was thrilled and excited to hear the good news,” Coleman said.

Poster winner donates prizes to kids in need

Austin Lamb, pictured in the center,  a regional winner in the Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day poster contest donates his prizes to school children in need. 

Normally when someone wins a prize, the winner keeps everything for themselves. For one youngster, winning means giving to others in need.

Austin Lamb, a statewide and regional winner of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Put the Brakes on Fatalities poster contest, takes an extra interest in participating each year.

His interest stems from when his dad was hit by a car while on duty as an Osage County Sheriff’s Office Deputy. Lamb witnessed the accident and now actively promotes traffic and law enforcement safety by entering this contest.

This is Lamb’s way of trying to make a difference at this age. His poster this year encourages drivers to pay attention when you see those in uniform helping stranded motorists.The various officers assisting communities across Kansas are keeping us safe  and Lamb wants everyone to keep officers safe as well.

Austin Lamb's winning design encourages drivers to pay attention when officers are assisting other motorists. 

For being a statewide and regional winner, Lamb won several prizes including:  A new bike, a bike helmet, a Kindle Fire Tablet and case, a $50 Amazon gift card and a $50 Wal-Mart card. 

This is the second year that Lamb was the regional poster contest winner and this year he is donating his bike from last year to a child in need.  Lamb also plans to donate the new Kindle Fire Tablet, tablet case, and Amazon gift card to his school. These gifts from Lamb will be raffled or auctioned off; and all proceeds will be used to purchase sports balls for elementary students to use for recess. 

Lamb would like to thank the group of people that attended his presentation:  His dad Richard, his mom Nancy, his sister Taylor, and his Grandma Beverly. He would also like to thank Lieutenant Dax Lewis of the Kansas Highway Patrol, Deputy Scott Brenner of the Osage County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Robert Brenner of the Osage County Sheriff’s Office and the Osage City Chief of Police Fred Nech. 

#TBT How to move a bridge girder

This past weekend all lanes of I-435 at I-35 were closed as part of bridge removal. By closing the lanes to traffic it gave crews time to work on the bridges as part of the Johnson County Gateway.

During that time several videos were made to show magnitude of the work being done in such a short amount of time. Work is still being done on the project, and it includes lane closures and full interchange closures, that information is updated daily on our website which can be found here. 

We know waiting for projects to be complete is not easy, but we hope that you can look at these videos and see the work being done.

Bicycle refresher 101

Photo courtesy of the Lawrence Unchained Bike Coop. 

Our friends at the Topeka Community Cycle Project have passed along some great tips for cyclists. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or a long time cyclist there are good facts to know. 

A basic bike check when leaving every time:

ABC QUICK CHECK

A is for Air

B is for Brakes

C is for cranks and chain

Quick is for quick releases

Check is for check it over

 

Photo courtesy of Bike Walk Wichita

Helmet fitting:

To find the right size helmet, put one on your head without fastening the straps.
The front of the helmet should be level and two-fingers width above your eyebrows.
Shake your head from side to side: There should only be a little movement.

Share the road

Bikes are vehicles and should act and be treated as such

Laws that apply to motorists also apply to people on bikes

In choosing a route to ride an errand or go on a ride with the family, choose roads that parallel main streets, slower neighborhood roads that will be just as efficient, but without the amount of traffic main streets have. It may be a slightly farther distance, but it will be a higher quality, less stressful riding experience!

When first riding to work, or trying a route you plan to use frequently, give it a try on a weekend afternoon or a time of less traffic. This way you can get a feel for the distance and other factors. Plus you won't be feeling stressed in case something comes up and you can't make it to your destination by a certain time.

Bike to School 2016. Photo courtesy of Bike Walk Wichita. 

Don't forget to bring a lock if you intend to place your bike outside at your destination. Try and bring the bicycle inside if you plan to be there overnight.

If you are commuting by bike to work, try bringing an extra set of clothes the first couple times you try it. If you find you don't sweat to a point where you're uncomfortable wearing those clothes, just ride in your work clothes and take a more leisurely pace. 

A front or rear rack you can get at a local bike shop can make any short trip more enjoyable depending on your preference for riding with items or bags on your back.

A front and rear reflector are required in Kansas. A front headlight is required at dusk, but a taillight is great idea for your own visibility as well!

To try and avoid flats while out riding, check the appropriate air pressure on the side of your tires and refill every few weeks!

#TBT Motorcycle Safety

This photo was taken in 1910 in Clay Center. From Kansas Memory.

As the temperatures rise, so do the number of motorcycles on the roads. May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and we’re encouraging all drivers and riders to “Share the Road.”

In 2014, 4,586 motorcyclists were killed in crashes, a decrease of 2.3 percent from 2013. Those deaths accounted for 14 percent of the total highway fatalities that year, despite motorcycle registrations representing only 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States.

The NHTSA offers the following safety tips for sharing the road with motorcycles:

• Allow motorcycles a full lane at all times. Even though they are small vehicles, they have all of the rights of the road as any other motorist. 
• Always signal when changing lanes or merging with traffic. 
• Watch for their turn signals. Just because a turn signal is on doesn't mean the ride is turning. Some signals are not self-canceling and riders may forget to turn them off. Ensure the rider is turning before proceeding. 
• Check all mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes or merging with traffic. Motorcycles can be easily hidden in a vehicle's blind spot. 
• Increase your following distance to three to four seconds when following a motorcycle. This gives riders more time to maneuver or stop in an emergency. 

Motorcyclists have the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as any other motorist on the roadway. Safe riding practices and cooperation from other road users will help reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on our roads. Be safe and “Share the Road!”

Bike to Work Day

Bicycle Awareness Month is May, and Bike to Work Day is on Friday, May 20. There are events that highlight bicycle awareness all over the state, here are a few that were sent to us.

In Lawrence- Homeless Shelter Event. May 21, members of the Bike Coop along with League of American Cyclist Certified Instructors, will be teaching a commuter and safety class to guests at the Lawrence Community Shelter (homeless shelter). The people who take this three-hour course will earn locks, lights, bicycle repair tools and helmets and those who don't have bikes, will earn them and those, also.

They have the bicycles, but need monetary or supply donations to help provide locks, lights, helmets and bicycle repair tools for those completing the course. Here is the sign up for donations.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0d4da8a72ca6f85-homeless

Earn a bike in May. Volunteers help us work on bikes, organize at our shop in Lawrence on Mondays, 6-8 p.m. After 10 hours of volunteering, they earn a bike from our collection. Here is the volunteer sign up. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0d4da8a72ca6f85-april

May bicycle, tool and donation drive. We are only able to do what we do because of the generosity of those who donate their time, resources and talents. In May, we are collecting bicycles, bicycle tools, parts and monetary donations. For more information on how to donate parts, bikes and tools, email lawrenceunchained@gmail.com. Monetary donations may be made online at http://www.lawrenceunchained.com/donate/

Wichita-  Bike Walk Wichita has a website that explains the happenings in the month of May as well as their tips for safe riding. 

Manhattan- On the city's website there are links to safe riding tips as well has having a list of bicycle related events in the Little Apple this month. 

Topeka- The Topeka Cycle Project  has the Topeka Ride of Silence on Wednesday, May 18, and the Glenda Taylor Ride on Sunday, May 22, for more details their calendar is linked here.