TEG
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2016
V V V
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING
K A N S A S
FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1895
T U R N P I K E
KTA PLANS FOR LONG TERM NEEDS
By Jessie Wagoner
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Good Evening
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Bring on spring!
WWW.EMPORIAGAZETTE.COM
A U T H O R I T Y
EMPORIA AREA SEES HIGHEST ACCIDENT
RATE ON THE KANSAS TURNPIKE
[email protected]
By Jessie Wagoner
2016 is the Kansas Turnpike Authority’s 60th year
of operation. Recently, the
KTA released a long-term
needs study outlining plans
to preserve, modernize and
enhance the turnpike system
during the next 10 years.
“KTA leadership has been
working for more than a year
to update its Long Term
Needs Study,” said Steve
Hewitt, KTA CEO. “We’re
confident in and excited
about the projects and direction presented in this study.”
KTA established the following five goals for the Long
Term Needs Study:
✦✦Improve safety and efficiency
✦✦Maintain and preserve the
turnpike system
✦✦Modernize the turnpike
system
✦✦Enhance customer experience
✦✦Be good partners to deliver Kansas transportation
solutions
[email protected]
Improvements
Three trends that influence improvement decisions
on the turnpike are increased
interstate travel, improved
technology and higher customer expectations. These
trends have caused KTA to
look at improvements in
corresponding areas such as
interoperability, enhanced
payment tools and increased
electric tolling.
Over the next decade KTA
plans to become interoperable with other states through
commercial toll solutions and
participating with interoperable hubs. Currently KTA offers enhanced electronic toll
collection through interoperability with Oklahoma’s
PIKEPASS program.
The toll industry has seen
a shift in how customers want
to pay for their tolls. This has
resulted in the need to offer
a variety of payment options
beyond the traditional pay as
you go at the toll plaza. KTA
is exploring additional payment options and developing tools to help customers
better manage their K-TAG
accounts.
Maintenance and
preservation
Preservation projects include three key categories
for annual investment — operations and maintenance,
replacement reserves and
safety improvements. KTA’s
bond indenture requires that
replacement reserve funds be
set aside annually to address
major infrastructure replacement items on the turnpike
including bridges, pavement
drainage structures and toll
facilities.
KTA is focusing on modernization and enhancement
projects while continuing to
deliver the ongoing safety
and preservation improvements customers value and
expect. The long term needs
study focuses on preserving
the Turnpike system to maintain safety, service and efficiency. The plan outlines a
Modernization
number of preservation projects to be completed over the
There have been many
next 10 years. Those include changes to the toll industry
general commuter parking in the last 60 years that the
improvements, flood risk KTA has been in operation.
mitigation improvements,
building maintenance and
Please see KTA, Page 3
safety awareness zones.
PETTIGREW
TO STAND
TRIAL MAY 2
The number of vehicles
traveling on the Kansas
Turnpike reached an alltime high in 2015. According to the recently released
Long Term Needs Study
done by KTA, the number
of vehicles driving on the
Kansas Turnpike in 2015
exceeded 37.5 million vehicles.
With increased traffic on
the turnpike safety remains
a top priority, according to
officials. KTA, through the
Kansas Highway Patrol and
the Kansas Department of
Transportation (KDOT),
collects and monitors accident data on the turnpike
system. Over the last fiveyear period the total accident rate has decreased by
25 percent.
The severity of accidents has changed during
the latest five-year period
in the following ways:
✦✦Property damage-only
accidents represented
the majority, accounting
for 81 percent of all accidents.
✦✦Injury accidents have
reduced by 643 and fatal
accidents reduced by
three. Fatal accidents accounted for .7 percent of
all accidents.
✦✦Commercial trucks accounted for 15 percent
of total accidents. These
have been reduced by
123.
Rachel Bell, marketing
and communications director for KTA explains that
for the Long Term Needs
Study accidents were
looked at by both “rate and
number.” To get the accident rate of a segment,
they took the number of accidents per 100 million vehicle-miles traveled. This
means that, quantity-wise,
there are more accidents
that occur on 1-70 because
that is the heaviest-traveled
section. However, that’s
not the segment with the
highest rate.
“The segment with the
highest accident rate in
four of the last five years
is the stretch of roadway
between Emporia and East
Topeka,” Bell said. “This is
also our least traveled segment of roadway.”
Because of this Bell says
there are some conclusions
that could be drawn from
the information to provide
safety tips for travelers.
Those safety tips include:
✦✦Watch for deer and other wildlife in this area.
✦✦Drivers should be alert.
Stop for breaks if needed — not just through
this area but on the entire trip.
✦✦Pay attention, even
when there isn’t as
much traffic. “We all
tend to drive defensively
when we are in heavy
traffic situations,” Bell
said. “But it’s just as
important to stay alert
and aware even in those
lower traffic areas.”
“Safety is one of our top
priorities,” Bell said. “So,
all of the projects selected
in the study have safety aspects to them. Some safety
improvements that help
travelers system-wide are
the recent installation of
additional dynamic message signs, the removal of
guardrail where feasible
and improvements to
drainage, pavement and
bridges.”
There are a number of
contributing factors when
accidents occur. Over the
last f