Projects and Partners
KUTC Projects and Partnerships
Time Period: 2024-2027
Client Partner: Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT)
Brief: The University of Kansas Transportation Center (KUTC) is currently working with the KDOT in developing and providing three years of training for Pedestrian and Bicycle focused Road Safety Assessments throughout Kansas.
Contact Person: Lindsay Francis, lfrancis@ku.edu
Client Partner: Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT)
Brief: As a sub-consultant to the Olsson Associates, KUTC team is helping to develop evaluation criteria, prepare the RFP to evaluate Automated Traffic Signal Performance (ATSPM) vendors, to evaluate selected ATSPM systems and to summarize the pilot evaluation process in an evaluation report.
Contact Person: Dr. Alexandra Kondyli, akondyli@ku.edu
Time Period: 2023 - 2028
Client Partner: Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT)
Brief: The Kansas Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) and the Drive to Zero (DTZ) Coalition have launched a safety corridor initiative as one of their top strategies. This pilot program is scheduled to run from 2023 to 2028. The University of Kansas Transportation Center (KUTC) is tasked with the pre- and post-evaluation of this corridor which is currently underway.
Contact Person: Nikhila Gunda, gundanikhila@ku.edu
Time Period: 2023-2028
Client Partner: Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT)
Brief: The Kansas Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) and the Drive to Zero (DTZ) Coalition have launched a safety corridor initiative as one of their top strategies. A safety corridor is the selected section of highway identified to promote road user education, increased enforcement of traffic safety laws and regulations, and consideration of engineering solutions in this pilot program. Statewide, four corridors were selected. Corridor limits were established using crash data, the availability of additional law enforcement, and feedback from local traffic safety partners. The pilot program is scheduled to run from 2023 to 2028.
Contact Person: Lindsay Francis, lfrancis@ku.edu
Time Period: 2021-2024
Client Partner: Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT)
Brief: The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is currently working with the KUTC team and the University of Kansas Public Management Center (KUPMC) along with subconsultants High Street Consulting (HSC) and Wilson and Company (WC) to guide the implementation of the 2020-2024 SHSP and develop a strategy for the next SHSP update. The key outcomes included in this project, but not limited to, are oversight and promotion of the SHSP, facilitation of the Emphasis Area Teams (EATs) and the Drive To Zero (DTZ) Coalition.
Link: https://www.ksdot.gov/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTrafficSaf/reports/reportspdf/SHSP2020.pdf
Contact Person: Nikhila Gunda, gundanikhila@ku.edu
Time Period: 2023
Client Partner: Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT)
Brief: 2023 KDOT Innovation Summit was hosted and managed by the KUTC team at the Kansas State University located in Salina, KS on August 1 and 2, 2023. Over the course of the two-half-day event, nearly 150 summit attendees have walked through the innovative project works in the US and discussed how KDOT can help other agencies and organizations to deploy innovative technologies in the state of Kansas.
Link: https://www.ksdot.gov/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/divInnovTech/Innovative_Technology_Fact_Sheet.pdf
Contact Person: Nikhila Gunda, gundanikhila@ku.edu
Time Period: 2022-2023
Client Partner: OCCK Inc., Salina, Kansas
Brief: The University of Kansas Transportation Center (KUTC) was selected to develop a comprehensive understanding of the City of Salina’s current and future transit needs. The goal of this study was to identify the challenges and opportunities of the current system, develop recommendations that can be used to meet future goals, and provide short- and long-term implementation plans. As a part of the study, the study team conducted a market analysis to identify the current transit market in the city of Salina, engaged the community and key stakeholders to identify community priorities, identified peer agencies that promote best practices in the field, analyzed current ridership and funding to understand the current operating characteristics of the transit system and developed scenarios to improve transit service based on community priorities and future needs.
Contact Person: Nikhila Gunda, gundanikhila@ku.edu
Time Period: 2022
Client Partner: Kansas State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) Committee
Brief: With the guidance and support of the STIC committee members, KUTC team hosted, the KUTC received funding to administer the Kansas Transportation Innovation Summit virtually on May 10th and 12th, 2022. The goal of this summit was to develop a community of professionals in Kansas who are interested in transportation innovations, inform transportation professionals of potential transportation innovations, and increase use of innovative methods for delivering transportation projects in Kansas. The sessions for the summit were developed focusing on the topical areas such as, but not limited to, Construction, Environmental, Multimodal, Pavement and Materials, Planning and Policy, Roadway Design, Structures and Geotechnical Engineering, Traffic Safety and Engineering, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. All the sessions hosted are now available on the KUTC YouTube channel, link below.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZYRnJL8rJZUYoaemEB0Gt9EyClvxm4Pj
Contact Person: Nikhila Gunda, gundanikhila@ku.edu
Time Period: 2022
Client Partner: Kansas Public Transit Association (KPTA)
Brief: With the guidance and support of the KPTA, Kansas RTAP organized an in-person three-day conference in Wichita, Kansas from August 29 to 31, 2022. With 150 attendees, this conference provided an excellent opportunity and time for most transit agencies to network, meet their peers, and learn more about the public transportation industry.
Contact Person: Kara Cox, kara.cox@ku.edu
Time Period: 2021-2022
Client Partner: Kansas State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) Committee
Brief: The University of Kansas Transportation Center (KUTC) received a grant from the Kansas State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) using funding provided by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to conduct 10-webinar series on topics related to transportation innovation, with a focus on how those projects can be implemented in midwestern communities. The webinar series is now available on the KUTC YouTube channel, link below.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZYRnJL8rJZU1HEwJYALTXkcw4n6xaeST
Contact Person: Nikhila Gunda, gundanikhila@ku.edu
Time Period: 2021
Client Partner: Mid-America Regional Council
Brief: With support from KCATA along with partnerships with the University of Kansas Transportation Center (KUTC) and the University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC) Bloch School, Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) evaluated how zero-fare would affect several performance metrics, such as the economy, opportunity costs, agency revenues and costs, operations, community effects, and other policy concerns. More information about this project can be accessed using the link below.
Link: https://www.marc.org/transportation/plans-and-studies/transit-zero-fare-impact-analysis
Contact Person: Nikhila Gunda, gundanikhila@ku.edu
Time Period: 2020
Client Partner: Kansas Public Transit Association (KPTA)
Brief: The University of Kansas Transportation Center (KUTC), home of Kansas RTAP (RTAP), developed, coordinated, and arranged sessions for the KPTA online or virtual conference in 2020. The theme of the conference was “Transit Tuesdays’ which was hosted on four Tuesdays from August 18th to September 8th, 2020.
Contact Person: Kara Cox, kara.cox@ku.edu
Time Period: 2018
Client Partner: Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas Inc (DSNWK)
Brief: After gathering the most recent data from the U.S. Census in 2018, American Community Survey, DSNWK, and INTDAS, the KUTC team conducted a route study to assess the feasibility of a fixed route transit service in the City of Hays, Kansas, while providing an update and expanding on a previous study conducted by the KUTC in 2008.
Contact Person: Nikhila Gunda, gundanikhila@ku.edu
Time Period: 2015
Client Partner: Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency
Brief: Utilizing data from the U.S. Census Bureau and ArcMap, the KUTC study team conducted a feasibility study to examine the possibility of a fixed route transit service and complementary paratransit services in Junction City and Grandview Plaza and providing technical assistance to Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency. This study covered demographic analyses, particularly surrounding transit dependent populations in Junction City to better determine existing use and predict future use. In addition, the study also included transit needs analysis, community and employer input, a preliminary route design, and a financial analysis using peer systems.
Contact Person: Nikhila Gunda, gundanikhila@ku.edu