TRAFFIC SAFETY: City of Topeka, KDOT partner to cut down on crashes

Topeka city officials hope a partnership with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) will help reduce the city’s number of traffic accidents.

The city is working in conjunction with KDOT to develop geographic information systems (GIS) database tools for tracking crash types and mapping crash locations.

Statewide, the city forwards all reports of traffic accidents involving injuries, fatalities or property damage of more than $1,000 to KDOT, which enters the information into a database and GIS mapping system.

Topeka’s city government has applied to KDOT seeking federal funding to pay 90% of the cost of construction for each of two proposed projects at N.W. 25th and Rochester Road and on S.W. Gage Boulevard between its intersections with I-70 and S.W. Emland Drive.

City staff determined that the high crash rates at these locations could be corrected by roadway improvements.