Traffic and Field Operations Unit:

Activities include the collection, tabulation, and analysis of facility and traffic data.

The collection of facility data includes information on roadway characteristics and railroad crossing features. This data provides information for the preparation of maps, statistical tabulations of roadway characteristics used in needs evaluations, and for other analyses of roadway conditions. Visual records of the State Highway System are maintained through a Videolog record system. This system is accessible to KDOT staff for various purposes including planning and design uses.

There is a variety of traffic monitoring functions. Among these are continuous traffic counts, short-term (24- and 48-hour) coverage counts and vehicle classification counts; speed studies; origin and destination surveys; and truck weight surveys. Collected traffic data is used for traffic forecasts, design specifications, allocation of fuel tax revenues, for numerous decision making processes within the agency and federal reporting requirements for the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) and the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP). This unit is also responsible for updating the classification of highways with regard to functional use and Federal-Aid funding categories, using census data and information from the bureau’s databases.