u EMPLOYEES HONORED FOR EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE

u WILLETTS MAKES IT TO THE “HOT SEAT”

INSIDE ... u VISIT KDOT’S BOOTH AT THE KANSAS STATE FAIR

u TEACHING GRANDMA ABOUT SPEED LIMITS

u KDOT HITS THE ROAD TO HEAR PUBLIC CONCERNS

By Kim StichThe new East Topeka Interchange

project, after almost six years and morethan $90 million, opened to traffic August1. KDOT, the KTA, the City of Topeka,and Shawnee County joined together tofund one of the single largest transporta-tion investments in our state’s history.

“This interchange is an excellent ex-ample of four organizations working to-gether to provide a safer, more efficienttransportation system for all motorists,”said Secretary E. Dean Carlson. “Whetheryou live in Topeka or are traveling throughthe area, motorists for years to come will

New East Topeka Interchange now openInterchange brings together KDOT, KTA, City of Topeka, Shawnee County

reap the benefits of this new interchange.”“This project will be a living testa-

ment to multijurisdictional cooperationand achievement. The economic future ofTopeka and northeast Kansas will be en-

hanced by this investment,” said MichaelL. Johnston, Kansas Turnpike AuthorityPresident/CEO.

The new interchange will:uConnect the Oakland Expressway to I-70 and the Kansas Turnpike;uImprove the I-70 alignment in east To-peka;uInclude a folded diamond interchangeat Rice Road/I-70 with roundabouts at theramp terminals as well as a folded

“Whether you live in Topekaor are traveling through thearea, motorists for years to

come will reap the benefits ofthis new interchange.”

Secretary E. Dean Carlson

Continued on page 6

The ribbon markingthe opening of the newEast TopekaInterchange was cut byseveral dignitaries atthe new toll plaza onAugust 1. Topeka aswell as northeastKansas will benefitfrom the newinterchange thatconnects I-70, K-4, theOakland Expressway,and the KansasTurnpike.

PAGE 2

FromWhereI Sitby E. Dean Carlson

NOTE: This information is available in alternative accessibleformats. To obtain an alternative format, contact the KDOTOffice of Transportation Information, Docking State OfficeBuilding, Room 754, Topeka, Kan., 66612-1568, or phone(785) 296-3585 (Voice)/(TTY).

Office of Transportation InformationDocking State Office Building, 754-S915 Harrison, Topeka, Ks 66612-1568

Governor: Bill GravesSecretary of Transportation: E. Dean CarlsonDirector of Public Affairs: Nancy BoginaChief of Transportation Information: Marty MatthewsEditors: Stan Whitley and Kim Stich

KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Phone/TTY: (785) 296-3585 FAX: (785) 296-0287

KANSAS

Calendar of Events

I’d like you to imagine the unthinkable for a moment. Imag-ine if a fully loaded 737 jetliner crashed every day of the yearkilling everybody aboard. A grisly scenario, I know, but I’d likeyou to think about what the result would be. My guess is that wewould all be demanding that something be done to improve thesafety of air travel and that many of us would cease traveling byair until something was done.

Yes, yes, you’re saying, but something like that would neverhappen. Yet, incredible as it may seem, something like that doeshappen every day. I’m talking about highway fatalities. Accord-ing to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)figures, an average of 42,000 people a year died on our nation’shighways between 1994 and 1999. This averages out to about115 people a day - about the same number that would be killedin that hypothetical plane crash. But last time I looked, not manyof us were refusing to drive on the highways, and few of us seem

to be clamoring that something be done.Well, it’s time to start clamoring and I’m pleased to say that

KDOT is playing a lead role in doing just that. Larry Emig, ofthe Bureau of Local Projects, has been working in his role withthe National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) to createa “Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day.” The goal is to establish aday similar in concept to the Great American Smoke Out or EarthDay - a day where people are hit with messages that make themthink about an issue.

The idea is simple enough: focus attention on a problem,make people think about it, and give them information they canuse to help solve it. The efforts of the NSPE have paid off andthe first “Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day” will take place thisOctober 10. The messages will be aimed at three key areas ofhighway safety: the driver, the vehicle, and the roadway. Eventswill take place all across the country and it’s hoped this willbecome an annual event.

More than 40 organizations, both public and private, havenow joined in sponsoring this event. To name just a few, theyinclude Federal Highways Administration (FHWA), NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), AmericanAssociation of State Highway and Transportation Officials(AASHTO), American Automobile Association (AAA) and TheRoad Information Project (TRIP).

You’ll be hearing more about this event in the days ahead,but you don’t have to wait until then to start making a difference.You know the right things to do when you’re driving, and our“Kansas Driving: Safe. Not Sorry” is helping make sure every-one knows. So drive safely, and help put the brakes on fatalitiesevery day you’re on the road.

September 3 - State employees off for Labor Dayholiday.

September 7-16 - 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. - KDOT boothat the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson. Booth located inthe Eisenhower Building.

September 11 - 11 a.m., KDOT Employees’ Coun-cil Meeting, Seventh Floor Conference Room, DockingState Office Building.

September 12 - 2 p.m. - Construction Bid Let-ting, Wichita Airport Hilton.

September 13-14 - Highway Advisory Commis-sion meeting - District Four field trip.

October 2-3 - KDOT Operations meeting at theHoliday Inn in Great Bend

Put the Brakes on Fatalities

PAGE 3

The origin-destination study thattook place around Lawrence in June wasnecessary to determine future transporta-tion needs in the area. Providing trafficcontrol for those doing the study was animportant job. This team effort receivedthe Example of Excellence award for thesecond quarter of 2001.

“On very short notice, four Subareasand the Area Two Maintenance crew weregiven the assignment to provide trafficcontrol for the origin-destination survey,”said Bob Bowden, Area Two Engineer.“This consisted of simultaneous lanedrops in both directions,at three separate four-lanelocations.”

Maintaining safetywhile accomplishing thegoal was a priority.Traffic control was alsonecessary from 6 a.m. to7 p.m. each day. “Withtremendous cooperationbetween crew members, we were able toconsolidate our resources and coordinatemanpower to accomplish this assign-ment,” Bowden said. Due to the shortnotice, work schedules had to be signifi-cantly altered. Many people madepersonal sacrifices to arrive in Lawrencebefore sunrise, or return home at latehours.

Employees also had to make last-

Team’s effort to provide safety an Example of Excellence

minute changes due tothe weather. When athunderstorm hit,Bowden said they had toquickly remove thetraffic control and reseteverything after thestorm passed.

For their efforts,Secretary E. Dean

Carlson presented a plaque to the groupand certificates to each person at agathering on August 14 at the Area Officein Osage City.

In alphabetical order, those KDOTemployees receiving certificates includedGary Burroughs, Clifford Butterfield,Richard Cunningham, Mike Daniel, Dick

Davis, Richard Deeds, Nathaniel Faith,Tom Ford, Rick Gardner, Brad Gavin,Travis Harrell, Ron Herrmann, RoyallHoffer, Don Jones, Kayne Kraus, RichardKraus, Leland Kueser, Corey Lowe, J.B.Masters, Butch Moore, Gary Moulin, JeffRomine, Ryan Salber, Randy Schimmel,Tommy Scott, Ron Smith, Greg Stout,Terry Thompson, John Watson, RichardWieneman, James Williams, and CharlesZerbe.

This was the second group selected inthe Example of Excellence program. Theaward is given quarterly with the thirdquarter nominations due to the Office ofTransportation Information by September30. -K.S.

Division Directors, Bureau Chiefs, District Engineers,Area Engineers, and Subarea Supervisors are encouraged to

nominate any group, team, or office thatgoes above the call of duty.

And now to make it even more convenient, nominationforms can be completed and submitted electronically onKDOT’s Intranet. Just go to the Forms Warehouse, andsearch for Form DOT 1204, Example of Excellence/

Employee Recognition Form. Hard copies ofthe form are also available by calling

Transportation Informationat (785) 296-3585.

Electronicnomination forms noweven more convenient

Crew members from four Subareas and the Area Two office are honored in theEmployee Recognition program.

Area Two Engineer Bob Bowden (right) chats withSecretary E. Dean Carlson after the ceremony.

EmployeeKDOT

PROGRAMRECOGNITION

PAGE 4

AASHTO Highway Subcommitteeon Construction meeting

KDOT wants to know what the public thinks about road-way features across the state. Answers to that question are be-ing obtained through road rallies in each of KDOT’s six dis-tricts.

In April, KDOT conducted the first of six road rallies acrossKansas that target input from Kansas resi-dents and Special Interest Groups/Stake-holders. The remaining five road ralliesare being organized for late summer.Each road rally covers a 45 to 60-milecourse selected by KDOT managers andcomprises a variety of segmented high-way types and classifications geographi-cally distributed across the state.

“The road rallies are supplementalto the KDOT external survey completed in December 2000,”said Ron McMurry, KDOT Strategic Planning Manager. “Therallies provide the public with the opportunity to tell us what itis they specifically like or dislike about our roadways.”

The District One course covered observations on 14 dif-ferent sections including ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘D’ roadway classifica-tions. The sections, varying in both design and condition, in-

KDOT conducting statewide road ralliescluded K-7, K-10, I-35, US-56 and I-435. Rallies were held atthree different times during the day allowing for collection ofa solid demographic sampling.

KDOT provided existing technical data for each segmentof the highway including: the type of surface/number of lanes,

IRI (international roughness index orsimilar rating), pavement condition rat-ing, width of shoulders, width of lanes,date of last striping/paint type, bridgewidth, traffic counts, and/or other datathat is available.

Participants were asked to providetheir perceived level of satisfaction withspecific highway features such as pave-ment condition, smoothness, lane width,

sight distance, shoulder condition, horizontal alignment, cen-ter striping, roadside striping, traffic flow, ease of getting on/off the highway, signage, landscaping, and width of bridgesfor each individual segment of the road rally

‘The rallies provide thepublic with the opportunity totell us what it is they specifi-cally like or dislike about our

roadways.’Ron McMurry

Continued on page 11

AASHTO delegates and their spouses had the opportunity to socializeand enjoy an evening meal at the Boathouse in Wichita on the open-ing night of the meeting.

Dean Testa, Chief of Construction and Mainte-nance, delivers welcoming comments at theAASHTO Highway Subcommittee on Construc-tion meeting August 5-10 in Wichita.

At right, a meal at the fairgrounds inHutchinson was followed by a visit to theKansas Cosmosphere and Space Centeron Wednesday night.

PAGE 5

Step Back in Time

Lyle Willetts, IT Consultant in Computer Services, has seenseveral movies starring Julia Roberts and thinks she’s a goodactress. Although he has not seen the movie “Stepmom,” he willnever forget that Roberts played a photographer in that filmbecause that was the question where he decided to take hismoney and run while participating on the game show, “WhoWants to be a Millionaire?”

“If I had been calmer and taken more time with it, I mighthave figured it out,” Willetts said. “When you’re sitting in yourliving room, things make more sense.”

Most people who have watched the show have dreamed ofsitting in the hot seat opposite Regis Philbin, and on July 23,Willetts’ dream came true.

He had tried calling the 800 number to become a contestantfor more than a year. He had gotten close to being selected acouple times but had not made it through the final process. Onthe last night during the call-in period, June 28, he qualified. Twoweeks later, on July 12, he got word that he had been selected asa contestant. “I called Sandy and she got allexcited, and she told the boys and they gotall excited,” Willetts said.

Willetts and his wife left for New YorkJuly 22. That night there was a meeting atthe hotel where they went over documentsand received $150 spending money and t-shirts. When they arrived at the studio the next day, Willetts wasimmediately put in lock down where they check for weapons andthen they check to make sure no one has electronic devices orreading materials. “The want to be absolutely definitive thatnothing could be rigged,” Willetts said.

Next they go over information for the possible interview.

They were intrigued by the fact that he speaks “computerese”and that he likes spoonerisms (switching the initial sounds ofwords), “but the thing that wowed them was that I had a CDL –

they were amazed by that,” he said.Then it was off to the set where everyone

practiced getting into the hot seat because itsits up so high and then they had five practicefastest finger questions. After lunch at theABC cafeteria, contestants went to hair andmakeup and headed back to the studio to tape

the show.The third fastest finger question was a charm for Willetts. “I

watched the screen and saw my name flash – I about dove

Make sure and watchABC on Tuesday, August

28, at 7 p.m. to see Willettsin the hot seat.

Willetts gets one in a millionchance to sit in the hot seat

Lyle Willetts made it to the hot seat on “Who Wants to be aMillionaire?” and walked away a winner. Find out how muchhe won August 28.

Continued on page 10

A Kansas HighwayCommission booth atthe Kansas State FreeFair provided thepublic safety-relatedinformation in Sep-tember of 1956.

PAGE 6

diamond interchange at US-40/K-4;uFeature two new toll plaza facilities thathave commuter parking areas and K-taglanes.

“The project is the epitome of inter-governmental cooperation,” said TopekaMayor Butch Felker. “It will be the cata-lyst for many economic developmentprojects in Topeka.”

The project will have many advan-tages for people in Topeka and through-

Facts/figures involving East Topeka Interchange

u 5,660,000 pounds of structural steelu 10,801 feet of prestressed beamsu 16 bridges within the 39 lane milesof roadway built on the projectu 38,220 shear studsu 23,966 square yards of overlayu4,385,000 cubic yards of excavation

It is the largest project let to construc-tion by KDOT or the KTA, and now thedream of a new East Topeka Interchangehas become a reality.

You can see why this project tookthree construction seasons to build bylooking at the amount of materials and sizeof the project below.

Continued from page 1East Topeka Interchange

Above, Governor Bill Graves pays the toll as he was the firstperson to go through the new toll facility after the ribbon cuttingceremony.

Michael L. Johnston, Kansas Turnpike Authority President/CEO, listens while Secretary E. Dean Carlson speaks at theEast Topeka Interchange ceremony. In the background is asign showing the four organizations that came together tomake the new interchange possible.

u 364,700 square yards of concretepavementu Six miles of rampsu 5,899 feet of steel pilingu 3,684,000 pounds of reinforcingsteel

out northeast Kansas with:uImproved traffic flow in the area;uReduced travel time;uDecreased congestion;uLocal residents having improved accessto the major corridors;uImproved access to east Topeka throughthe Rice Road interchange to Croco Road;uEconomic development possibilities.

“The citizens of Shawnee County areexcited about the completion of the EastTopeka Interchange,” said ShawneeCounty Commission Chairman Vic Miller.“This project represents the best in inter-governmental cooperation and opens

doors to development in a long neglectedpart of our community.”

While the project opened to trafficAugust 1, work on removing the existingKTA toll plaza and constructing the rampand connections to the Rice Road/I-70roundabouts will not be finished until latethis fall. In addition, landscaping andseeding as well as work on other areasoff the roadway will continue until late2002.

The Hamm Companies of Perry is theprime contractor on the interchangeproject.

PAGE 7

Determining future transportationneeds can be difficult, especially whencity, county, state and turnpike roadwaysare all located in a small area in east To-peka. By taking all four agencies’ needsinto consideration and combining themtogether into one big project, the new EastTopeka Interchange will be a tremendousadvantage for motorists in east Topeka.

Originally, the Oakland Expressway,that now stops at S.E. 6th Street, was even-tually to be extended south and west toconnect to I-70 and that was it – no directconnection to go east or west on the Turn-pike and no access to Rice Road.

The original concept also did not al-low the Kansas Turnpike room to expandand include new technology to assist mo-torists. Access for city and county roadsto I-70 and the Turnpike would have beenconsidered separately at some point in thefuture.

KDOT and the KTA decided to joinforces and requested the City of Topekaand Shawnee County to join them. “Eachentity was pursuing separate plans on howto solve transportation problems in thisarea,” said Steve King, KDOT Squad

Leader in charge of design on the EastTopeka Interchange. “The two agenciesgot together and developed a plan thatwould serve each other well along withthe local streets and county roads in thatarea.”

City and county funds were predicatedon a vote of taxpayers on August 6, 1996,to extend a quarter-cent sales tax. Itpassed by a large margin. “A lot of peoplewanted to see it done and they’re gettinga good bang for their buck,” King said.

The total project cost was originallyestimated at $98.6 million, but now it isexpected to cost about $5 million less. Theproject funds are 50 percent from KDOT,

41 percent from the KTA, 4.5 percentfrom the City of Topeka and 4.5 percentfrom Shawnee County.

The East Topeka Interchange will fea-ture several safety enhancements:uHelping local and through traffic;uConnecting the KTA with I-70 and theOakland Expressway;uReducing congestion at the existing tollplaza by building an improved toll facility;uUsing roundabouts at the Rice Road/I-70 ramp terminals to handle the largevolumes of traffic coming to and from I-70. -K.S.

New interchangehas tremendousadvantages

The new East Topeka Interchange is open totraffic, but the project is far from complete. This fall,a major landscaping project will begin along the newroadways that will take more than a year to complete.

This landscaping project is one of the largestplanting projects ever undertaken. Since some areasare inaccessible to mow, there will be numerousnaturalized areas to help reduce maintenance needsand add beauty to the area.

Native grasses such as Little Blue Stem, Big BlueStem and Side Oats Gramma as well as wildflowers

including Grey Headed Coneflower, Pale PurpleConeflower and Purple Prairie Clover will be usedthroughout the project. Trees will be planted inseveral areas including along Rice Road and shrubswill be planted in the middle of the roundabouts.

The landscaping project will not affect traffic, butmotorists are asked to use extra caution throughoutthe new interchange as highway workers and contrac-tors will be working near the roadways. -K.S.

Work far from over on East Topeka Interchange

This new bridge takes traffic from the Oakland Expressway east to the Turnpike.

PAGE 8

By Ron KaufmanAlbert Einstein has been quoted as saying “You do not

really understand something unless you can explain it to yourgrandmother.” Albert Einstein is your quintessential smartperson. He understood the speed of light and he understoodthe limits of the universe. I wonder, however, whether hewould have understood speed limits. Some things just seembeyond normal human reason.

Still, speed limits exist and most drivers (85 percent)seem to follow them reasonably well. Drivers probably can’ttell you why they follow the speed limits. Most wouldprobably say it’s just the law. If only we could get 85 percentcompliance with seat belt use. When I first came to KDOTalmost three years ago, Istruggled to understandspeed limits. At first,the very idea of thedriving public havingsome influence oversuch an importantmatter seemed likeanarchy. I recalled mypast visits to New YorkCity. New York is a corner ofthe universe where “speed” and “limits” do notseem to coexist. Eventually, I came to better understandspeed limits, but I still struggle with trying to explain them tograndma. Clearly, I’m no Einstein.

One of the most challenging parts of our jobs is to try toexplain such heady things to the people we serve. Publicinvolvement is one part information, one part education, andone part involvement. Effective involvement depends onaccurate information about the work we do and a certainamount of education to help reasonable people understand it.If people can’t understand what we do and if we seem tohave no interest in helping them understand, we can becomethe target of their frustration. At the same time, we are lesslikely to appreciate their efforts unless they seem to under-stand our efforts. As a public servant you might appreciatenot being the target of ill feelings, even if there’s no place forpublic involvement in your work. So, being able to ad-equately explain our work in understandable terms isimportant for all concerned.

How do we explain our work so others can understandit? Simply stated, try teaching your grandmother. Testingan explanation on another significant person works just as

well. In a pinch, use your imagination and pretend that youare teaching your “inner public.” Humans are sublimelyself-involved, so begin your explanation with your listener.People build knowledge and understanding on the founda-tion of things learned or experienced earlier in life. So,listen to their stories and ask questions to clarify what youhear. Only then will you know how to proceed. Draw fromwhat you hear and break down your explanation into smallerideas with similarities in everyday life. Once you haveestablished some understanding with simple examples, youcan start to build a more complex message. Always try torelate to your listener’s experiences and frequently check tosee if they agree with or understand what you are saying. If

the examples you use do not seem tomatch your listener’s

experiences, you arelikely to be misunder-stood, so be preparedwith several differentexamples. Whenpossible, use non-technical pictures,

drawings, or othervisual tools. Always

remember to respect yourlistener’s age and experiences. Never talk to adults as if theywere children! When you believe you have achieved yourgoals, check once again for understanding. If they “get it,”give yourself a pat on the back. If not, then repeat or stop,depending on your listener’s wishes. You might have to besatisfied with igniting the spark of understanding rather thanthe fireworks of complete success.

It can be a challenge to rethink the work with which youare familiar and break it down into chunks that can beunderstood by others. It is worth the effort, however. Bydoing so, you develop a new understanding of your workand a new view on how it is seen by others. Einstein wasright in this respect. That is not too surprising. Yet, a puzzleremains. If it took his grandmother to help Einstein under-stand his work, which one was the genius? Suddenly,thanks to Einstein, I view my grandma in a whole new speedof light.

There is a handy explanation of speed limits on theKDOT Internet site, under the heading of “Safety.”

Teaching Grandma?

PAGE 9Dear Editor

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear KDOT:I would like to thank your

department for the help that one manoffered to me on August 1. KennethMcKenzie (District One Main-tenance Superintendent) stopped onK-4 to make sure I was ok.

I’m 20 years old and was drivinghome from Topeka when my car died.At the time that my car died I hadenough reception on my cell phone tocall home and let my family know Iwas having problems, shortly after,my cell phone lost reception and I hadno way of getting help. Mr.McKenzie offered assistance andcalmed me down. He let me use hiscell phone to call home and let themknow I was ok, then he took me to thenearest gas station to wait forsomeone to get me.

About a half hour later, he cameback to the gas station to make sure Iwas ok and that I had help on the way.He had given the highway patrol theinformation of where I was. Later, onhis way back to Topeka, he stoppedonce again at my car and made surewe had a tow coming. This man wasvery generous. To your departmentand him, my family and I thank youvery much.

Sincerely,Amanda Roberts,

St. Joseph, Mo.

Deaths Condolences to the family and

friends of former KDOT employee JohnHarrington, who passed away July 9 atTopeka.

Harrington, 88, retired from KDOTin 1978. He is survived by three daugh-ters, a sister and six grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may bemade to the Midland Hospice House,200 S.W. Frazier Circle, 66606 or theSt. Francis Hospital Foundation, 1700S.W. 6th, 66606.

Planning will soon be in full gear forthe 2001 United Way of Greater Topekafund-raising drive.

Beginning with a campaign kick-offheld on Thursday, September 6, the UnitedWay will start its Annual Day of Caringfund-raising celebration. This community-wide celebration will continue throughFriday, September 7, and Drew Rowland,UWGT Communications Specialist, hopesthe addition of an extra day for the cam-paign will promote increased awarenessfor the cause and will give participatingbusinesses more time to schedule fund-raising activities.

“This is a wonderful opportunity formembers of the community to get hands-on experience helping others. Participantsare able to see the impact that they’re mak-ing through their donation, what resourcesare generated, and how they are used,”Rowland said.

Dan Carter, Management SystemsAnalyst in Management and Budget, willserve as chairman for this year’s KDOTcampaign. The theme will be “A Key toCaring” and Carter hopes to generateenough participation during the drive tohave donations exceed the $28,328.83 thatwas raised last year.

Planning for this year’s KDOT cam-paign is underway and events will soonbe organized. Carter said the campaignwill probably begin in mid-September andrun through the end of the month. Infor-mation on the different events will be dis-tributed as it becomes available.

“I feel that for this year’s campaignto be truly successful, we need to surpasslast year’s contributions by at least $1.00.We need everyone, in one way or another,to participate,” Carter said. “Just one per-son can make a difference.”

Governor Bill Graves and Secretary E. Dean Carlson were amongthe dignitaries present for the US-169 ground-breaking ceremonythat took place August 1 in Paola. The project will involve theexpansion of US-169 to a four-lane roadway in Miami County

US-169 Ground-breaking ceremony

United Way of Greater Topekacampaign kicks into full gear

PAGE 10

Welcome

new KDOT

employees!

HeadquartersBrian Briggs, Database ProgrammerAnalyst II, Computer ServicesAlex Hoover, Applications Program-mer Analyst II, Computer ServicesGeorge Laliberte, Program Consult-ant II, AviationRichard Peat, Programmer andAnalyst Manager, Computer ServicesKathleen Selvidge, Legal Assistant,Chief CounselNorman Stahl, Human ResourcesProfessional II, Personnel Services

District OneBobby Davis, Engineering TechnicianAssociate, Bonner SpringsGary Fangman, Engineering Techni-cian Associate, SenecaMitchel Hoag, Engineering Techni-cian Associate, EmporiaAlan Lierz, Engineering TechnicianAssociate, SenecaLarrie Raney, Engineering Techni-cian Associate, Emporia

District ThreeKristen Brands, Program ConsultantI, Norton

District FourStephen Gibson, Engineering Techni-cian Associate, IndependenceIan Stringham, Engineering Techni-cian Associate, Garnett

District FiveBeth Helsel, Office Assistant II,Hutchinson

The Bureau of Personnel Services supplies information for new employees toTranslines.

Looking for an entertaining and edu-cational experience? The Kansas State Fairin Hutchinson, September 7-16, is yourticket.

Whether it’s viewing the 700-plus com-mercial exhibits, the thousands of competi-tive exhibits, enjoying fair rides, grandstandentertainment or food, there will be plentyof activity at the 89th annual fair.

KDOT’s Office of Transportation In-formation, with assistance from District Fivestaff, will once again have a booth at thefair. The booth in the Eisenhower Buildingwill be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on open-ing day, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundaythrough Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.on Friday and Saturday.

“The fair offers an excellent opportu-nity to inform the public about KDOT’s pro-grams and projects,” said Marty Matthews,KDOT Public Information Officer. “Ourmain emphasis will be promoting safety onKansas roadways, answering questions and

listening to the public’s concerns.”KDOT’s booth is always a popular at-

traction with a wide variety of promotionalitems available including keys chains, the2001-2002 official state transportation map,

litter bags and book markers.New promotional items will be orange

plastic stadium cups, containing work zonesafety tips on the outside, orange Give ‘Ema Brake pencils and magnets. The magnetscontain important numbers the public canuse to obtain information using the roadcondition hot line, KDOT connection andthe internet address for weather-related road

conditions.Besides stressing the Give ‘em a Brake

program, KDOT’s new “Safe. Not Sorry”safe driving and education and awarenessprogram will be highlighted. Special glovebox folders that can hold the state map, alongwith insurance and registration documents,will be available. The folders contain the“Safe. Not Sorry” logo and key emergencycontact information. Litter bags, ice scrap-ers, and window cling stickers will also beavailable.

The Kansas State Safety Belt Educa-tion Office (KSBEO) will be part of theKDOT booth once again. The office worksto promote the need for safety belts and childseats at all times when traveling. Promo-tional items they will offer include pens,pencils, magnets, sunscreen crayons, andcoloring books.

More information about the fair can befound at www.kansasstatefair.com. S.W.

Check out KDOT’s booth at the Kansas State Fair

‘The fair offers an excellentopportunity to inform thepublic about KDOT’s pro-

grams and projects.’Marty Matthews

sideways out of my chair and shookRegis’ hand,” he said. “We talked aboutme working at KDOT and he asked if wehave traffic jams in Kansas. “I said yes,but for the most part they only last acouple minutes.”

Things went along pretty well,Willetts said, “then I got two questions ina row that were outside my strengths.” Hedidn’t know the name of the cricket in thebook, “A Cricket in Times Square.” Heasked the audience, but the vote wasclose, so he used the 50-50 and got theanswer right.

On the next question, Willetts phoneda friend, Lee Lassiter, but he also didn’tknow Julia Roberts’ profession in“Stepmom.” “I had seen other people lose,so I decided, that’s it, I’m walking,” hesaid.

The trip was a lot of fun, Willettssaid. At first he dreaded going to NewYork, “but it was pretty exciting – a wholedifferent culture and experience. I’d liketo go back some day.” - K.S.

Continued from page 5Willetts

PAGE 11

M I L E S T O N E SKDOT salutes its employees celebrating anniversaries in August

10 YEARS

Nancy Bogina ........................ TopekaJohn Clark .......................... Fort ScottGlen Coker ................ Sharon SpringsMichael Hernandez Jr. ........... TopekaSusan Maxon ......................... TopekaDavid Nagy ............................ TopekaKent Portenier ................ PhillipsburgTerry West ......................... El Dorado

This information is compiledby each Office, Bureau,Division, and District.

30 YEARS

Ralph Gripka ...................... LawrenceNels Just ................................. TopekaRobert Warhurst ..................... Oakley

Attention RetireesThe 2001

OperationsMeeting

will take place October 2-3in Great Bend at the HolidayInn, 3017 W. 10th Street. If

you are interested inattending this year or if youwould like to be invited tofuture Operation Meetings,

please contact DennisWeinrich in Construction

and Maintenance at 785-296-3576.

courses.An analysis of the technical data for

each section of highway and participant rat-ings from the road rallies will be conductedand the data merged into a single data base.The analysis will provide KDOT outputsthat include:u Identification of the importance of

highway features by type of highway.u Identification of expectations for

the condition of highway features by typeof highway.u Identification of highways features

that most strongly impact customer satisfac-tion with highways in the state.

A final report on the road rally resultswill be completed in September 2001.

ETC Institute (ETC), an Olathe basedmarket research firm, is administering theroad rallies.

Each road rally begins with a 20-minutepresentation and brief overview of thecourse. Participants then travel the coursein several passenger vans, traveling about90 minutes. A facilitator is in each van tocoordinate and assist during the road rally.After completing the course, a brief wrap-up session takes place to address concernsand gather completed surveys.

Additional information concerning theroad rallies can be obtained by contactingthe Office of Management and Budget at(785) 296-3597. - S.W.

Continued from page 4Road Rally

Take Your Kids to Work Day

During KDOT’s Take Your Kids to Work Day on July 20, Julie Lesslie, ProjectControl Engineer, works with her sons, Luke and Peter, while below, ShaneHastings, Sign Shop Printer, demonstrates silk screen printing for the purposeof making highway signs to a group of parents and kids. Children from eight to14 had the chance to see their parents working and also learn about KDOTduring tours at the Materials Research Center and the Sign Shop.

PRE-SORTED STANDARDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDTOPEKA, KS

PERMIT No. 157

PAGE 12

Promotions/Transfers

KDOTOffice of Transportation Information915 Harrison - Room 754Topeka, KS 66612-1568

TrainingOpportunities

uEmployee Benefit Seminar, Sep-tember 5, 19, October 3, 17, 31 - noenrollment needed.uTransition to Leadership, Septem-ber 11-13, District Three and DistrictFive; September 25-27, District Five;Ocotber 2-4, District Two.uNew Employee Orientation, Sep-tember 27, and October 30, Topeka.uLeadership Basics, September 18-20, Topeka.uYou’ll Catch On! October 2-3 andOctober 16-18, TBA.uBasic Effective Supervisory Tech-niques, October 16-19 and November6-9, Topeka.uLeadership Forum, November 19-20, Topeka.All classes, except BEST, are availableto non-supervisors with supervisory per-mission and where space is available.A comprehensive training calendar ison the KDOT Intranet under Person-nel, Training.The Bureau of Personnel Services supplies information to Translines.

HeadquartersMark Johnson, Environmental Scien-tist II, DesignBecky Klenklen, Publications Writer I,Materials and ResearchBetty Oliver, State Auditor I, FiscalServices

District OneJamie Gaddias, Engineering Techni-cian Associate, TopekaDrake Jennings, Highway MaintenanceSupervisor, Overland ParkChad Ridgway, Engineering Techni-cian Associate, OlatheRichard Wyatt, Engineering Techni-cian Associate, Merriam

District TwoRex Flinn, Highway MaintenanceSupervisor, MankatoEric Moore, Equipment Operator III,Marion

Carlton Shumaker, EngineeringTechnician Senior, Junction City

District ThreeSidney Ochs, Equipment Operator III,HoxiePaul Stout, Engineering TechnicianSenior, OakleyMarvin Withington, Highway Mainte-nance Superintendent, Atwood

District FiveAnnette Ratcliff, Engineering Associ-ate III, WichitaBrent Terstriep, Engineering AssociateIII, Wichita

District SixDenver Cox, Right of Way Agent I,Garden CityChristine Urban, Human ResourcesProfessional I, Garden City