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Next week, my
life and my schedule will forever change.
On Wednesday, my oldest, who is five, will start Kindergarten.
I'm excited about it - there will probably be some tears on Wednesday, but he's ready. I'm ready too. It will be exciting to watch him learn how to read, write, and spell.
But it will be a big change for us. Gone are the days of randomly scheduled vacations, late mornings and homework free evenings.
My husband and I will become like millions of other Kentuckians, meaning everything we do will revolve around the school schedule, rigid drop off and pick up times, and extra-curricular activities.
We'll also be like millions of other parents who depend on the bus to transport our little one to and from school safely - and this will be the first time we've ever dealt with that. We'll be depending on a stranger to navigate the roads, manage the riders, watch the other drivers, and bring our little one safely to and from our door.
That's a big job.
In Jefferson County alone, school buses will cover more than 83,000 miles a day, according to a
WDRB report - and ridership is up.
That's just in one county.
That's a lot of little ones riding along one county's roadways, crossing bridges, and passing over culverts every single day school is in session.
On Wednesday, I'll join millions of parents as we put our little one on the bus for the first time, praying for a safe trip.
I have the comfort of knowing that the roads my little one will take are mostly safe. His route is less than two miles and he only covers one bridge and one highly congested intersection. There are so many other parents whose children will cover more than 20 miles of roadway each day - crossing multiple bridges, culverts, narrow roadways, and roads in dire need of maintenance.
I feel for those parents. And I feel for those kids. I can only hope that the bridges they cross aren't structurally insufficient and that the maintenance needs aren't so great that they extend the trip or cause an accident.
I hope on Wednesday that all the roads my son - and all the other children - ride on will provide a safe path to school and a safe return home.
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KBT's Mission Statement
Kentuckians for Better Transportation educates and advocates for all modes of transportation to promote a safe, sustainable transportation network that brings economic growth and improved quality of life to all Kentucky Communities.
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2016 Platinum and Gold Highlight Article
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2016 Gold Sponsor - Integrated Engineering
Integrated Engineering recently celebrated its 10th Anniversary as a company. The company was started by Harsha Wijesiri, PE out of his home in 2006 as owner and sole-employee. Initially Integrated Engineering began working as a sub-consultant to larger engineering firms on KYTC projects and as a prime consultant for local municipalities with much of the work involving civil engineering and surveying with a focus on drainage and hydrology.
Integrated Engineering's work as a sub-consultant for KYTC projects provided the platform needed to develop into a larger firm but also continues to play an important role in our workload especially for our surveying department. In the past few years the company has taken on a new role as prime consultant for many KYTC projects. Four Statewide contracts from KYTC including: Local Public Agency (LPA), Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), Drainage, and Traffic Operations (Structural) have been awarded to the company in the past two years.
Integrated Engineering originally developed a niche for specialization in drainage but since then the list of offered services has broadened with the addition of other complimentary disciplines such as Structures, Landscape Architecture, Water Resources, Construction Inspection and Right of Way. With the addition of so many new departments our staff numbers has increased to 30 employees. The company now has three offices; including our corporate office in Lexington and two branch offices in Louisville and Florence. We credit our success to the hard work of our employees, and our repeat clientele who depend on us to perform and produce quality work.
The company's Site Development and Utilities Department which encompasses all disciplines mentioned above also plays a key role in producing designs and construction plans local municipalities, airports, utility companies, and private developers across the state of Kentucky. Some of the projects this group produces includes; streetscapes, parks, housing developments, planning documents, development plans, industrial developments, master plans, water and sewer infrastructure plans and trails.
We pride ourselves on our tight knit relationships with clients and the ability to serve them in the same capacity as our large corporate competitors but keep things on personal level where clients know their importance to us and feel confident in our services.
For more information visit: http://www.int-engineering.com/
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KBT Events and Committee Meetings
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Highways Local Streets and Roads Meeting Committee Meeting
1:30 pm
Galt House Hotel
Louisville, KY
Suite Towers, 2nd Floor Clements Room
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January 18-20, 2016
39th Annual Kentucky Transportation C
onference
Lexington Marriott Griffin Gate Resort
Coming Soon Event Website Link!
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TARC rolls out six new all-electric buses
TARC has begun adding six new all-electric, zero-emission buses along the
Fourth Street corridor between downtown and Iroquois Park, stopping at some of the city's most popular destinations. With the new buses, TARC will have a total of 15 all-electric buses on the road, making it one of the largest electric bus operators in the country.
"We know passengers enjoy a quiet, clean ride and it doesn't get better than this," said TARC Executive Director J. Barry Barker. "We encourage everyone - visitors and residents alike - to take a ride on one of these zero-emissions, modern buses, and have fun visiting top city attractions."
- See more at: https://www.ridetarc.org/News/August-2016/TARC-rolls-out-six-new-all-electric-buses/#sthash.omKyPhZX.dpuf
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FTA Issues Public Transportation Safety Program Final Rule
T
he Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today issued the final rule for the Public Transportation Safety Program that establishes procedural rules for FTA to administer a comprehensive safety program to improve the safety of federally-funded public transportation systems. The final rule formally adopts the
Safety Management System (SMS)
approach to safety as the basis of the FTA safety program.
"With today's action, FTA continues its steady progress in establishing the regulatory framework needed to implement and strengthen our new and existing safety transit oversight and enforcement authorities," said FTA Acting Administrator Carolyn Flowers.
This rule also establishes procedural rules for the FTA to conduct inspections, investigations, audits, and examinations of Chapter 53 grant recipients' public transportation systems, withhold or direct the use of Federal transit funds, and issue directives.
More information here
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Whitfield honored for industry support
Outgoing U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, who has represented Kentucky's 1st Congressional District for over two decades, was honored Friday for his service to the river industry and the Paducah area.
Wishing the congressman "fair winds and calm seas" upon his retirement at the end of the year, Sonny Smith, past president of the Propeller Club of Paducah, presented Whitfield a commemorative propeller clock in honor of his 22 years of service.
The brief ceremony was held at the River Discovery Center before a group of representatives of the river industry. Local officials included Paducah Mayor Gayle Kaler and the two mayors who preceded her and also worked with Whitfield, Bill Paxton and Gerry Montgomery.
"We are here today to recognize and congratulate, appreciate and thank Congressman Whitfield for his support of the river and barge industry," Smith said. "During his tenure representing Kentucky's 1st District, since 1994, he spent much of that time walking the halls of Congress and working on issues that are very important to our business."
Read more here from Paducah Sun via Facebook
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FRA Now Accepting Applications for $199 Million in Federal Grants
The FRA is now accepting applications for commuter railroads to compet
e for $199 million in federal grants to cover positive train control implementation costs.
Congress provided the one-time shot of funding in the FAST Act in December 2015.
Eligible projects may include those that help cover the costs of installing PTC systems, or developing technologies that will reduce costs, speed up implementation and imp
rove interoperability. FRA will choose the winners, and FTA will administer the money.
For more information click here.
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Professional Gen-Xers don't always drive SUVs, but when they do they drive Ford Explorer Sport, according to a new vehicle customer study by MaritzCX
Data from the study shows the vehicle has the highest percentage of Gen X buyers of any non-luxury SUV in the United States, reflecting this group's preference for exclusivity and performance at a great value. With its 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost
® V6 engine mated to a six-speed SelectShift
® automatic transmission, Explorer Sport delivers 365 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 350 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,500 rpm.
Explorer Sport has grabbed a significant 15 percent of total nameplate sales since its debut in 2014.
Jim Mulcrone, director of research services for MaritzCX, says 23 percent of buyers of other midsize SUVs, on average, are Gen-Xers, but Explorer Sport attracts nearly 40 percent of those born between 1965 and 1978.
"Ford has a very interesting customer with this product, and what's unusual is that many are buying it without trading anything in," he says. "Our study shows that while 17 percent of all non-luxury SUV buyers classify themselves as 'specialty professionals,' that number is closer to one in four with Explorer Sport. It seems this product is breaking through."
Read more here
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Highways
Federal Highway Administration Invites States to Designate 'Zero-Emission' and 'Alternative Fuel' Corridors
New initiative will help drivers know where to find alternative fuels nationwide
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today called on state and local officials to nominate routes where drivers can find alternative fuels. These "zero-emission" and "alternative fuel" corridors fulfill a directive in the "Fixing America's Surface Transportation" (FAST) Act.
"We can't have Smart Cities without Smart Highways," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx. "Making sure drivers with alternative fuel vehicles can use the national highway system, rather than being limited only to local areas, is the next step in advancing America's transportation network."
The new provision - included in today's Federal Register - requires the Secretary to solicit and designate national plug-in electric vehicle (EV) charging and hydrogen, propane and natural gas fueling corridors along major highways. FHWA's notice invites nominations from state and local officials to assist in making such designations.
In 2014, the U.S. pledged to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 28 percent by 2025, and 80 percent or more by 2050. By supporting lower-emitting vehicles, alternative fuel and zero-emission corridors will help to reduce vehicle exhaust - a significant contributor to U.S. GHG emissions.
Read more here
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Safety
http://transportation.ky.gov/TowardZeroDeaths/Pages/home.aspx
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2017 Annual Kentucky Transportation Conference
Sponsors to Date:
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Bronze
Trinity Highway Products
Geotechnology, Inc.
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Exhibitors
Lynn Imaging|Monster Color
Stantec
Integrated Engineering
E&H Bridge & Grating, Inc.
Bacon|Farmer|Workman Engineering, Inc.
Trinity Highway Products
Site-Safe, LLC
Geotechnology, Inc.
PAIKY
American Engineers, Inc.
Site-Supply
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Kentuckians for Better Transportation | (502) 491-5600 | www.kbtnet.org
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