KDOT's 2012 annual report is now available. And the 68-page appendix offers more comprehensive info.

WICHway, Wichita's Intelligent Transportation System for metro highways, has a new website: WICHway.org. Check out the camera tours!

A passenger rail Service Development Plan was released recently and can be viewed as a 163-page pdf document at KDOT's Passenger Rail page.

The City of Wichita has launched a virtual "town hall" soliciting your ideas about transit services. Share your ideas, opinions and suggestions at WichitaTransitTalks.com.

KDOT is conducting an online survey on intercity bus service in Kansas. Go to KDOT's website and look for the Intercity Bus Study logo on the right.

Ten (!) recently completed projects:

1. EB K-96 bridge over the Big Arkansas River -- bridge repairs
2. EB U.S. 54/400 (Kellogg) bridge over Washington -- bridge repairs
3. U.S. 81 from Haysville to Sumner County -- asphalt overlay
4. K-254 from I-135 to Woodlawn -- asphalt overlay
5. SB I-235 to WB US 54/400 ramp bridge repairs
6. I-135 bridge repairs over Pawnee and the Ark River (four bridges)
7. I-135 & 47th St. S. -- interchange reconstruction + improvements to 47th St. from Broadway to Lulu.
8. I-135 between 1st & Pawnee streets -- concrete patching and asphalt overlay
9. K-96 -- cable median barrier installed from I-135 to Rock Road
10. K-96 -- joint repair between I-135 and Greenwich Road

KDOT activities in the Wichita Metro.

New 75 mph speed limit signs are in place on 807 miles of Kansas highways. See the map of 75 mph routes in Kansas.

A T-WORKS website is up and running. You can view all scheduled transportation work in Kansas and create a custom project list with maps.

KanDrive, www.kandrive.org, is a valuable web portal that provides info on weather, highway conditions and construction plus camera views from around the state.

Kansas Gov. Brownback announced a new group of T-WORKS projects for southcentral Kansas on May 31. Included for the Wichita area:

• I-235 & U.S. 54 interchange. Phase 1 includes flyover ramps for SB I-235 to EB Kellogg and NB I-235 to WB Kellogg plus other improvements.
• Two projects on East Kellogg (U.S. 54/400) -- KTA and Webb Road area then another mile east of that.
• Right-of-way $ match of 2:1 (State:Local) for the Northwest Bypass.

Wildflowers and prairie grasses were planted in April at the I-135 & Kellogg interchange. A dormant planting of wildflower seed was also made at the I-135/I-235/K-96/K-254 interchange in November 2010. Patience...

Hard to argue with this: 2001 - 2010 was the greatest decade ever for Kansas transportation. See KDOT's decade report.

Beeline Express, a bus service serving Wichita to Salina (two roundtrips/day) and Wichita to Pueblo, Colorado (one trip/day) began in November 2010 .

Changes to the Beeline Express: 1) Brand new buses; 2) Blue Line route will go Wichita - Newton - Hutch - McPherson - Lindsborg - Salina; and 3) Red Line will stop in Kingman, Pratt and Greensburg instead of Hutchinson. Read the news release. 

These are cool: Historic State Maps of Kansas. The first highway map is from 1918.

The Amtrak Feasibility Study for expanded passenger rail service (including restoration of service to Wichita) is available for your review. A number of helpful documents are posted at www.ksdot.org (scroll down to Amtrak News). 

An enhanced 511 Mobile application is available at http://511mm.ksdot.org.

Can the Wichita Metro Statistical Area (Sedgwick, Butler, Harvey & Sumner counties) stay in compliance with federal air quality standards? Check the metro Air Quality Index for particulate matter, ozone and carbon monoxide.

A consultant for the City of Wichita has finished soil tests along E. Kellogg between Rock Rd. & K-96 for design work on the future U.S. 54/400 freeway (left).

If you use the Kansas Turnpike a lot, you might want to subscribe to their text messaging service. Info on weather, road conditions and crash-related traffic problems are sent to your phone. Sign up >>

K-TAG is the Kansas Turnpike Authority's electronic tolling program. You can save 15% and breeze through the toll plaza without stopping. Easy to purchase (online or at several retail outlets) and easy to use. Read about the two K-TAG options.

Current Projects

Click on the tab for details on current projects.

No. Jct. Lights

I-135/I-235/K-96/K-254 Interchange Lights
Start date: March
Completion: Spring
Contract amount: $439,177
Prime contractor: Phillips Southern, Wichita
Scope of work: Little impact to traffic is expected.

I-235 Patching

I-235 -- entire length
Start date: September 18, 2011
Completion: Spring 2012
Contract amount: $2,574,173.36
Prime contractor: Diamond Surfacing Inc., Maple Grove, MN
Scope of work: Concrete patching on I-235 from the south junction with I-135 to the N. Broadway bridge. Lane striping south of U.S. 54.
Special notes: Project suspended until spring.

US 54 Lights

U.S. 54/400 lights near Washington St.
Start date: November 28
Completion:January
Contract amount: $308,315
Prime contractor:Atlas Electric, Wichita
Scope of work: Replacement of eight highway lighting structures on East Kellogg near Washington Street.
Special notes: Six poles are in the US 54 median and will require some lane closures during installation.

I-235/K-96 Lights

I-235 lighting at K-96/Meridian Interchange
Start date: January 23
Completion: March
Contract amount: $543,727
Prime contractor: Phillips Southern, Wichita
Scope of work: Replacement of 18 highway lights.
Special notes: Minor impact, if any, on highway traffic.

Wichita ITS

Intelligent Transportation System
Start date: October 20, 2010
Completion: December 2011
Contract amount: $3,980,151
Prime contractor: Atlas Electric, Wichita
Scope of work: Phase 1 includes 28 cameras, 21 message signs (at 14 locations), 36 traffic sensors and a website to share the information. Equipment is in 60-day functionality observation period.

More news:

Deer can be spotted on Kansas highways any time of year but are especially active during the rut -- which peaked in mid-November. There were 9,109 deer-vehicle crashes reported in 2010 -- 391 in Sedgwick County.

This is NOT good news: The Kansas county with the most deer vs. vehicle crashes in 2009? Sedgwick. See the stats.

Keep Right, Pass Left. A Kansas law requires that drivers on roadways outside of cities, with two or more lanes in the same direction, must drive in the right lane unless they are making a left turn or passing another vehicle (fine is $60 + court costs).

Put the phone down and drive! Kansas joins 29 other states: drivers caught writing, sending or reading a text message while on a public road or highway = $60 fine + court costs.

Going fishing? Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks provides weekly fishing updates and KDOT has a couple of public access lakes at Hydraulic and 45th St. North. Here are maps to many of Sedgwick County's fishing locations.

Contact KDOT Wichita Metro