An innovative Kansas interchange project unique for both its design and its partnership arrangement has been named a national award finalist. And that's potentially good news for students.
The I-35/87th Street/U.S. 69 interchange in Johnson County this month was named one of 10 national finalists for America's Transportation Award. The award is cosponsored by AAA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The project, which was opened to traffic in October 2006, was named one of 23 regional winners in July.
Kansas and the other nine states will now compete for the Grand National Prize – selected by a panel of community, business and transportation leaders — and the People's Choice Award, which will be decided by popular online vote. The awards come with grants that, in Kansas, will further educational opportunities for students in engineering, math, science and technology.
The $70 million interchange is located on one of the most heavily traveled sections of highway in Kansas and is one of the first single point urban interchanges (SPUI) constructed in the state. The new design, which replaced a traditional diamond-shaped interchange built in the 1960s, includes only a single traffic signal, resulting in fewer delays, increased capacity and enhanced safety.
Also unique is the partnership arrangement between the Kansas Department of Transportation and the cities of Lenexa and Overland Park. The city of Lenexa was the lead partner for design of the SPUI — a role KDOT normally has — and set the schedule. KDOT leaders say the arrangement created more "buy-in" for the project, for which Clarkson Construction of Kansas City was the prime contractor, and contributed to the strong relationships that were forged. The high level of public involvement and communication among partners, area residents, businesses and travelers has also been cited for the project's success.
According to award sponsors, the Grand National Prize winnings will support a graduate-level grant in the transportation field and the People's Choice Award will fund a community service project to be selected by the winning state department of transportation. KDOT has designated UpLink as the potential beneficiary of the People's Choice grant. UpLink is a Kansas City area effort that connects the workplace to the classroom in order to further students' academic skills and interests in the areas of math, engineering, technology and science.
"This project has done a great deal to enhance traffic flow and safety on a heavily-traveled stretch of Kansas highway," said KDOT Secretary Deb Miller. "And now I hope there will be lots of public support for it so we can, through UpLink, encourage young people to consider high-demand occupations such as engineering."
Lisa Adkins, president of YouthFriends, which oversees UpLink, said that by encouraging student interest in math, science, engineering and technology, there are multiple benefits.
"Voting for Kansas will not only help UpLink support students directly, it will contribute to the cultivation of a skilled, future workforce that will help our state, region and nation be successful," Atkins said.
To cast a vote for Kansas, visit the KDOT Web site at www.ksdot.org and click on "America's Transportation Award."
LENEXA —
