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NPHQ > Awards & Success
Stories > 2006 Make a Difference Award Winners > Kansas
Highway Teams Win National Quality Award
Kansas City Media Partners “Scout” for Traffic Reports
New Orleans, LA/November 14, 2006 – The National Partnership for Highway Quality (NPHQ) has awarded one of its 2006 National “Making a Difference” awards to Kansas highway teams whose quality innovations promote roads that are completed more quickly, ride better, last longer, reduce congestion, and improve safety. Entries are judged by a panel of transportation industry leaders who serve on the NPHQ Steering Committee.
Bronze
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) won the Bronze Award in NPHQ’s Public Communications category.
The Kansas team was recognized for an education and outreach program on a new traffic management system called the Kansas City Scout. Although other major cities operate traffic management systems on their urban freeways, these systems were a new concept for citizens in the Kansas City area until a few years ago.
The traffic management system is operated jointly by the Kansas and Missouri Department’s of Transportation and covers 75 miles of five of the busiest Interstates and a few other roads. Communicating the benefits of this bi-State system evolved out of a comprehensive communications plan that targeted all stakeholders and the general public about the system’s benefits through a variety of mediums.
Perhaps unique to the communications effort is a media partnership, governed by a legal agreement, giving local television stations access to the 75 cameras for traffic reporting. In exchange, the television stations must provide the DOT’s with a minimum of 72, 30-second commercial spots within a six-month period during prime weekday air time. The renewable two-year agreement was specifically designed with public service in mind.
Scout’s web site is another venue for real-time traveler information. From their home or office, web site visitors are able to view average travel speeds and camera images along the Scout system and read posted messages regarding lane closures.
“Public Communications is a new category that was added to our ‘Making a Difference’ awards because good communication contributes to the quality of the driving experience,” said NPHQ’s Executive Director Bob Templeton. “Communication empowers drivers with knowledge to make travel decisions appropriate for them, whether it’s shifting to a bus to avoid highway construction or changing work hours to avert congestion during a morning commute.”
About NPHQ
The Making a Difference Award program is sponsored by the National Partnership for Highway Quality, which combines public and private highway expertise to deliver quality highways for the safety and mobility of the traveling public. NPHQ members include:
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