Some Christmas Stories

Christmas is usually a time to gather with family and friends. It is rich in old traditions or starting new ones. A few of the employees at GBA shared what they did over Christmas break.

Lea Murray

In the Philippines we celebrate Christmas Season starting in September, we start decorating our tree and wrapping our Christmas gifts as early as September. However, the majority of the Filipinos here in the U.S.A. have a busy lifestyle so we celebrate it on December only, but we have parties almost every weekend. Yes we do like parties!! But we do not forget the reason of this season; it’s the birth of Jesus Christ. Nine days before Christmas we celebrate Simbang Gabi (Christmas Novena) and eat dinner after the mass. On Christmas Eve, each family prepare a dinner Feast, we call it Noche Buena, we open our Christmas presents at 12:00 a.m. and go to Church on Christmas day before we eat lunch.

I have two kinds of Christmas Trees at home; we have the American Christmas Tree and the Filipino Christmas Tree. The Filipino Christmas Tree is in the Kitchen since we always assemble in the kitchen whenever we have get-togethers.

Doug Carpenter

This was an extra special Christmas around the Carpenter household. Not only was it the first official Christmas of the Carpenter household (my wife and I just got married on November 21st of this year), but December 23rd also it marked the 10th birthday of our yorkie, Cappy. So on Christmas Day, my parents joined us at our house for a late breakfast and we unwrapped all of our presents. As you can see in the picture, Cappy couldn’t wait to put on his new stylish outfit and pose for the camera. Hope everyone else had a wonderful Christmas as well!

Adam Stodola
My mom came down from Nebraska to spend the first Christmas in the new house and there was the requisite amount of eating, drinking, and being Merry.  We took advantage of the warm weather by smoking a brisket on Christmas Eve and then taking it easy the rest of the weekend. Just how I like it…  laid back and stress free… unless of course you consider the beating I took in the card games. That was not stress free. 

All in all, it was a good Christmas… and I hope it was the same for everyone else.

Nathan Johnson
Christmas at the Johnsons was a blast!

We got the party started with baking and decorating cookies for Santa. After we recovered from the sprinkle induced coma, it was over the river and through the woods for dinner and presents at our Great-grandparents house, where we got to have all sorts of fun with our favorite cousins.

With great anticipation and just a couple tears we said goodbye to everyone and headed home where we finally got to sleep, anxious to see what Santa had in store for us.

Christmas morning just couldn’t get here soon enough.

Once it was finally time to open presents the wrapping paper couldn’t come off fast enough. We had so much fun opening all the fun toys and even the clothes, that we decided it would be a good time to head to Grandma and Grandpa Johnson’s for even more presents and a little brunch too.

Since there is no such thing as too much of a good thing, we loaded up and headed to Granny and Poppy Cano’s for a little dinner and just a few more presents.

After such an awesome day, the only way to top it off was cheering our Wildcats onto a big win and tournament championship in Hawaii. Only Daddy made it all the way through the game, but he said it was a great end to an even better weekend.

Happy Retirement, Anne!!

After 26 years with GBA Anne is moving on to the next stage in her life. The first morning of retirement will no doubt be difficult, not for Anne but for the rest of us still working. The chair where she sat each day and wrote many an article will be difficult to fill. She will be missed for many reasons but mostly because her laugh is infectious, her smile contagious, and her heart filled with kindness.

Although it will not be the same around here without Anne, we are very excited for her. It has truly been a privilege to work with Anne and we wish her the very best in retirement.

Sharing Thoughts on Engineering Careers in PE Magazine

In the December 2011 issue of PE magazine, a national publication produced by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), Anne Schroer was one of 19 Young Engineer Award winners asked questions regarding their thoughts on recruiting and retaining the next generation of engineers. Anne stated that she learned about the profession after taking career quizzes and that she was not aware of the possibility in high school.

The 19 engineers were asked questions on whether they felt engineers were born, made, or both. Anne said she felt engineers were both. “Engineers have a certain way of thinking… but they would probably never become engineers without being introduced to the profession.” And if Anne hadn’t been an engineer? She would have chosen finance!

We’re glad she decided to be an engineer.

Holidays Bring Cheer to Many through the Johnson County Christmas Bureau!

We’re pretty excited when it comes to the holidays and this year is no exception! The Monday after Thanksgiving found the office lit up like KC’s Country Club Plaza…well, maybe not quite like that, but sparkling nonetheless. Staffers decorated their various venues, and Harland Russell went all out with his own personal tree-lighting ceremony on the morning of December 6.

Thanks to our very generous GBA elves, gifts began to appear under Christmas trees in the lobbies as well. This year our gifts were earmarked for the Johnson County Christmas Bureau (JCCB), a non-profit, non-denominational agency created to provide the county’s low income families with everything from groceries and personal care items to clothes, books, and gifts for all ages. We delivered our gifts today!

While Johnson County has a reputation for affluence, the level of poverty has risen in these economic times and with it the number of families seeking assistance. The JCCB helps meet their needs with a Holiday Shop that serves more than 3,200 families, (more than 11,000 individuals) each year. Many are working families trying to make ends meet; more than 82 percent are women and children. And more than 600 nursing home residents are also served by the program. This year’s Holiday Shop is open through December 10, so if you act quickly you may still have time to donate!

If not now, however, then consider getting involved next year - you’ll feel the excitement too!

Happy holidays and best wishes for peace and prosperity in the New Year from all of us at GBA!

The Citizens of Olathe Are the Winners as City and GBA Are Recognized by ACEC Kansas with a ‘City Public Improvement Award’ for the South Cedar Creek Sewer Improvements



The ACEC Kansas “City Public Improvement Awards” recognize engineering projects for their benefit to the citizens of a community, so when this year’s award in the “50,000 and above” population category went to the City of Olathe and GBA for the South Cedar Creek Sewer Improvements, the citizens of Olathe were the real winners!

We'll be there, along with representatives from the City, when the awards are handed out at the Kansas Association of City/County Management’s Annual Conference in Topeka on December 1. The improvements provide sewer service to developing areas that will support the BNSF Railroad’s Intermodal Development in southwest Johnson County.

The new gravity sewer, forcemain, and a submersible pumping station are not only functional, but also sustainable and funded by a special sanitary sewer benefit district. The latter means that the citizens of Olathe will receive the long-term benefits of additional property tax income without incurring capital debt. Equally important is the environmentally sound method by which the project was planned, designed, and constructed.

The City and Johnson County have plans for a recreational trail along the stream that lies within the improvement corridor. As a result, special care was given to providing sustainable solutions, from alignment selection to reduce loss of large-diameter hardwood trees to minimizing the visual impact of the project along the stream corridor by alternating construction clearing limits on each side of the project centerline, and restoring the stream bank using bio-engineering techniques. Stream crossing locations were also carefully selected to minimize interceptor disruption by high velocities/scour.

The Lights Are Bright on Kansas City’s Broadway Bridge, Recognized by AIA Kansas City with a 2011 Design Excellence Award!

Mike Sinclair Photographer

We’re pleased that the Broadway Bridge over I-670 in downtown Kansas City has been recognized by AIA Kansas City with a 2011 Design Excellence Award in the Merit Awards category! This standout bridge replaces a deteriorating structure to provide better vehicular and pedestrian access between Kansas City’s ever changing Central Business District and a vibrant area to the south that includes the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and the Crossroads Arts District.

The bridge supports the effort to encourage walkability in the City by providing wider sidewalks, ADA accessibility, and improved crosswalk signalization. But what really caught the AIA’s eye was the focus on the pedestrian experience. GBA, the engineer on the project, brought in el dorado inc. to focus on architectural and artistic enhancements to the bridge. The result? A pedestrian railing that employs a three-layered system of galvanized mesh that, combined with color and light, adds eye-catching appeal to this prominent public improvement! What’s more, portions of the pedestrian barrier contain two-inch thick yellow acrylic panels that buffer noise from the vehicles traveling below and create a visual experience that changes throughout the day!   Congratulations to all involved!

MoDOT Partners with UMKC to Provide Students, Including GBA’s Chris Farney, with Hands-On Experience! Ribbon Cutting Celebrates Partnership!

 In early 2010, MoDOT partnered with the University of Missouri, Kansas City (UMKC) to give engineering students an opportunity to receive hands-on experience while creating designs to improve traffic operations at intersections along Missouri Route 50. Chris Farney, an engineering intern who joined GBA’s Highways/Streets Group in May, was one of those students!

Chris, a Kansas City area native, earned a B.S. degree in civil engineering from UMKC in 2010 and completed his M.S. degree, also in civil engineering, at UMKC this year. He also has a B.A. degree in psychology from the University of Kansas!

Chris Farney

According to Chris, the first semester involved a study with findings and recommendations presented to MoDOT. During the second semester, designs were completed and submitted for review. “It really helped prepare me for my work here at GBA,” Chris said. “MoDOT actually used some of our ideas and design work in the final design. It was really cool getting to see something that I helped design actually built!”

A ribbon cutting yesterday celebrated the partnership and the safety enhancements that resulted from it. The $2.5 million project enhances traffic operations and improves safety at seven intersections, providing smoother, wider pavement and additional lighting at all intersections. New turn lanes and acceleration lanes were added at some of the busier intersections.



'Chilimaster' Cook-Off Heats Up Halloween



Some of our best dressed, from left, Tim Ross, Coleen Parnell,
Karen Scherer, and Matt Kersten



Each Halloween a panel of brave GBA judges has the somewhat dubious pleasure of taste testing as many as 40 different chili and soup recipes to determine the recipients of the Golden Ladle trophy, and this year was no exception!

Chili winner Paul Miller (right) receives the
Golden Ladle from last year's winner Bryan Rasmussen



The annual “Chilimaster Cook-Off”…actually a soup category has been added since the contest originated but the name remains unchanged…attracts a group of enthusiastic GBAers who vie for trophies and bragging rights. It’s all in fun, as we enjoy the fare including some pretty tasty dogs, brats, burgers, and much, much more.

Congratulations to this year's winners!   

Chilimasters

Bryan Rasmussen, who took home the gold in the soup
category, is shown with 3rd place winner Coleen Parnell.

1st Place Paul Miller

2nd Place Kiel Johnson

3rd Place Tie Josh Tedder & Tim Ross

Soupmasters

1st Place Bryan Rasmussen

2nd Place Clarence Munsch

3rd Place Coleen Parnell

Looking for a recipe for more durable concrete? A new video explains how the Kansas City Metro Materials Board (KCMMB) can help!

Click on the arrow above to view the video

The Kansas City Metro Materials Board (KCMMB) has launched a new video designed to introduce potential members to the benefits of standardized materials specifications for durable concrete on public works projects. This concrete alternative focuses on life-cycle costs rather than first costs. It’s the culmination of more than three years of research by municipalities to discover and prevent the causes of premature cracking and deterioration of pavement, sidewalks, curbs, and storm drainage inlets.

KCMMB is a cooperative effort of public works organizations in the KC Metro area. The KCMMB goal is to propose standardized material specifications and to simplify the approval process with the assistance of the KCMMB web site. GBA helps by maintaining the web site and reviewing concrete mix design submittals for compliance. 

Take a look at the video to see just what KCMMB can do for you, or visit the KCMMB website to learn more!

Ribbon-Cutting Marks Successful Completion of Interchange at K-7 and Johnson Drive/55th Street

What can we say! It was a beautiful day for a celebration as dignitaries officially cut the ribbon signaling the successful completion of the new interchange at K-7 and Johnson Drive/55th Street in Shawnee, Kansas. Shawnee’s Mill Valley High School Marching Band created a festive air for the perfect fall day, while a gaggle of 5th graders from nearby Prairie Ridge Elementary School clapped and cheered.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback described the project as “wonderful” and proclaimed that “it provides an atmosphere for growth.” Kansas Secretary of Transportation Deb Miller agreed, saying “There’s nothing I enjoy quite as much as the opportunity to celebrate a success, and that’s certainly what this is.”

Other speakers included U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, U.S. Congressman Kevin Yoder, Kansas Secretary of Revenue Nick Jordan, and Shawnee Mayor Jeff Meyers. All praised the work that had been done and its exciting implications for economic growth in Shawnee, Johnson County, and all along the K-7 corridor. 

Many members of the GBA project team turned out to celebrate a job well done! Principal Clarence Munsch and Project Manager Todd Jones took to the stage for a second ribbon-cutting ceremony recognizing the firm’s engineering design of the $21.4 million project.

Safety concerns and capacity issues prompted KDOT to initiate the project, which replaced an at-grade signalized intersection with the new interchange. The project included new bridges on K-7 over Johnson Drive/55th Street as well as a much-talked-about roundabout below the bridges, where K-7 on- and off-ramps merge with Johnson Drive/55th

Street. A second roundabout west of K-7 at the intersection of 55th Street with Hedge Lane Terrace was also part of the project. Two related projects are still under construction.

According to Governor Brownback, “The investment here and along the K-7 corridor …will provide important economic return and job creation for the region and state. But the return…won’t just be in dollars and jobs; the improved roads also will be measured in fewer crashes fewer injuries, and fewer fatalities.”

Congratulations to all involved in this very important project!

Join the GBA Team to Help Fight Hunger with Harvesters!

In honor of Hunger Action Month, GBA is conducting a food and fund drive for Harvesters, The Community Food Network.  Food and monetary donations will help feed those in need throughout Greater Kansas City. 

We welcome staff, friends, and family to join us in our efforts. Please help us reach our goal of $500!

Hate shopping? Join GBA's Virtual Food Drive. Monetary donations can be made online at GBAfooddrive.harvesters.org. With every $1 donated, Harvesters can provide 5 meals. Donations can be made now through Friday, September 23rd. Transactions can be completed in a matter of minutes and e-receipts are available instantly.  

Like doing things the old fashioned way? Collection barrels will be placed in the reception areas on the 2nd and 3rd floors of our Lenexa headquarters.  Your donations will be accepted Monday, September 19th through Friday, September 23rd.

Most needed items:

Food
• Canned vegetables
• Canned fruit
• Boxed meals - (Hamburger Helper, Pasta Roni)
• Canned Meat/Tuna
• Peanut Butter
• Canned Soup
• Cereal – hot and cold

Household Products
• Soap
• Deodorant
• Shampoo
• Toilet Paper

Thanks in advance for your support!  

Bravo! Celebration Marks Successful Completion of Broadway Bridge over I-670 in Downtown KC

Completed on schedule and under budget, this new GBA-designed bridge provides an important link to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts!

 

A brilliant late-summer day was the backdrop for a ribbon cutting ceremony marking the successful completion of the Broadway Bridge over I-670 in downtown Kansas City! GBA and the GBA BBQ team catered the event, creating a festive atmosphere on the bridge deck next to Bartle Hall, where representatives from MoDOT, the project team, stakeholders, media (see Fox 4 coverage here), and the public celebrated a job well done!

 

Completed just in time for the opening of the Kauffman Center (the bridge will open later this week, the Kauffman Center on September 16), the critical schedule kept everyone on their toes.

 

GBA delivered final plans on February 14, 2011, just three months after receiving notice-to-proceed! Clarkson Construction started work in early May and delivered the completed project just five months later!

 

The new structure includes wider, safer sidewalks for pedestrians and some nifty, decorative railings designed by el dorado architects!  

 

Right now the bridge is scheduled to open by this weekend. Take a drive or walk the route; there's a lot going on and it's all exciting for Kansas City!   

A Toast to Becoming the Best Communicator You Can Be!



GBA Architect Suzanne Berkey recently received a
'Competent Communicator' designation from Toast-
masters. Suzanne is Vice President of Education for
Lenexa Toastmasters.

Suzanne Berkey just received her CC – Competent Communicator – designation from Toastmasters (congratulations Suzanne!) – and it reminded me that this resource is available right here in our office! GBA headquarters is home to Lenexa Toastmasters meetings so as you might expect, we have our share of competent communicators. To earn the designation, participants make ten formal presentations, master the art of extemporaneous speaking with “table topics,” and provide one another with support and constructive criticism. Suzanne currently serves as Vice President of Education for Lenexa Toastmasters.

But the club is not exclusive to GBA! Anyone interested in becoming a better communicator or improving leadership skills can attend Lenexa Toastmaster meetings. It’s an "open club," which means that guests and new members are always welcome. It doesn’t matter what time of the year you join. Your membership is prorated based on the month you turn in your membership application.

Meetings are held from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month in the lower level training room at GBA, 9801 Renner Boulevard in Lenexa. The cost is just $46 every six months. You can learn more about Lenexa Toastmasters here, or tour the Toastmasters International website!

If you’d like to become a more confident and effective communicator, visit one of the meetings and see if the program is right for you!



New Broadway Bridge to Provide Access to Kauffman Center for Performing Arts

Congratulations to Tawn Nugent, a New GBA Associate!

GBA's Tawn Nugent has been promoted to Associate and we couldn't be more pleased. As a member of the firm's Transportation Group, Tawn has taken a leadership role on some of the firm's most high-profile projects.

Tawn is modest about her accomplishments and cites teamwork and the dedication and hard work of members of the team in getting these jobs done and done right! Absolutely true, but she's still a leader extraordinaire!

Several projects come to mind immediately, including big improvements to eight miles Missouri Route 150 in Jackson County that encompass the recently completed interchange of Rt. 150 with US-71 Highway; replacement of the Broadway Bridge over I-670 in downtown Kansas City, Mo., an important link to the very exciting, soon-to-open Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts; and improvements to the US-50/Route 179/Missouri Boulevard (Business Route 50) Interchange in Jefferson City, Mo.

Tawn is a proud Iowa native and earned her undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Iowa State. She has a Master’s degree in engineering management from KU. Tawn is fully involved in the engineering community with very active memberships in ACEC, APWA, NSPE, and KSPE. She's also an alum of the 2010 Leadership Overland Park program.

So what are Tawn's guilty spare-time pleasures?  For one, she serves on the Advisory Board of Heartland SPCA, a "comprehensive animal welfare solution for the Kansas City community" formed by the recent merger of Animal Haven and No More Homeless Pets KC. If not exactly a guilty pleasure, it's an extremely important commitment for this dog lover and parent of black labs Zoey and Libby. Other favorite things include travel, golf, football...and a good glass of wine!

Congratulations to Tawn on this well deserved promotion!

GBA Tees Up to Support Keep Omaha Beautiful, Inc.

Team members (from left) 
Gary Beck - GBA, Terry Morrison - Ehrhart Griffin & Associates,
Pat Kastl - City of Omaha, and Kurt Hassler, GBA

Dear Gary,

Many, many thanks to you and your company for supporting Keep Omaha Beautiful, Inc. with your sponsorship for our 18th Annual Charity Golf Classic on July 11th, 2011.  The day was a little hot, but everyone had a great time, and enjoyed a fabulous round of golf.  We had 196 players (the most ever) and were able to raise an estimated $32,000.00 for our Keep Omaha Beautiful, Inc. programs. Please share the attached picture with your team members. Again, thanks so much, and we hope that you will be able to come out and play with us again, July 16th, 2012 at the Players Club at Deer Creek.

Sincere Best Wishes,
Keep Omaha Beautiful Staff & Board

GBA's Anne Schroer Honored by KSPE as ‘Young Engineer of the Year’



GBA's Anne Schroer receives the "Young Engineer of the Year"

award from KSPE President Glenn Knak, P.E., Lochner, BWR Division.

Congratulations to Anne Schroer, who has been named “Young Engineer of the Year” by the Kansas Society of Professional Engineers (KSPE). The award is given annually to honor a young engineer for engineering achievements, involvement in KSPE, civic and humanitarian activities, and excellence in continuing education.


A civil engineer and member of GBA's Transportation Group, Anne is a graduate of the University of Kansas. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 2003 and a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management in 2010.  As part of the requirements for her Master’s degree, Anne developed the concept of “Sustainable Transportation Optimization,” which uses linear programming to maximize positive sustainable impacts in transportation projects. 

One of Anne's passions is working within the engineering community to help create a more sustainable transportation future. She currently serves as Assistant Chair of GBA’s FocusGreen, a multi-disciplinary team of LEED APs dedicated to achieving sustainability in GBA’s designs and business practices.

Anne also represents the American Public Works Association (APWA) as a member of the 4A Collaborative, a group of planning and design professionals from APWA, APA, ASLA, and AIA committed to promoting sustainability throughout the Kansas City region. In addition, she is a member of the KC Metro Scorecard Subcommittee, which is charged with developing a sustainability scorecard for the Kansas City area. 

Anne's involvement includes membership in the Linking Environmental & Transportation Planning Advisory Group that, through MARC, helped create an action plan and best practices guide for the Kansas City region. The Advisory Group continues to work to develop a clear understanding of what needs to be done to better integrate transportation and environmental planning in the Kansas City region. 

And if all of that isn't enough, Anne completed the Boston Marathon this year in 3 hours, 41 minutes, and 8 seconds (3:41:08), qualifying her for a third consecutive year. That's an amazing average of 8:26 (minutes: seconds) per mile.  Now that's sustainable transportation!     

In the News: GBA Energy Audits Identify Potential Savings as Part of Resourceful Kansas Program

GBA conducts energy audit of United Way Building, Lawrence, Kansas 

The United Way building in Lawrence, Kansas, got an energy check-up earlier this week and the Lawrence Journal-World was there to chronicle the event! Thanks to Resourceful Kansas, an extraordinary program designed to help Kansans implement projects that will save energy, GBA’s Kevin Juhl and Brian Huff conducted the energy audit at no cost to Douglas County, which owns the building. The United Way building houses 21 nonprofit organizations.
 
According to the Journal-World, “What they found wasn’t promising: a heating and cooling system that has been in place since the building opened as a nursing home in the early 1960s.” But Juhl and Huff “were impressed with how the United Way has managed heating and cooling the building with the old system in place” and found energy use “…pretty good, based on national averages.” GBA will take this and other detailed information obtained during the facility audit to develop customized cost and benefit reviews and a prioritized list of energy-saving technologies.

 

The Resourceful Kansas program, which is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, is designed to promote energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy throughout the state. Participants attend a one-day seminar hosted by Resourceful Kansas partners GBA, Riley County Public Works, and Kansas State University at the Riley County Public Works facility, where they learn about the types of energy-saving technologies available, tour real-world examples, and learn about sources of capital available. GBA’s team of architects, engineers, and construction managers then conduct the energy audits for a select group of participants and will provide support to help these participants integrate concepts into their own facilities.

 

To date, two seminars have been held at the Riley County Public Works facility with a third scheduled for July 27.  Over the course of the program, at least 120 organizations will attend the seminars and at least 80 organizations will receive energy audits through the program. For more information or to apply for the Resourceful Kansas program, click here.

GBA Selected to Serve as MoDOT BEAP Consultant

Jim Jarrett, P.E.
GBA Bridge Group Leader

MoDOT has selected GBA to participate in the Bridge Engineering Assistance Program, or BEAP as it is more commonly known. This important program provides engineering assistance to local public agencies throughout the state that do not have their own engineering staff to evaluate, prioritize, and develop design solutions for bridge maintenance, rehabilitation, and repair. GBA will be placed on a list of pre-approved BEAP consultants available to provide engineering services for structural analysis and prioritized design of rehab and repair.

Over the years, GBA has worked with MoDOT, KDOT, and with numerous cities and counties to realize savings for their bridge projects. GBA Bridge Group Leader Jim Jarrett, PE, and Bridge Design Engineer Jon Karst, PE, talk about some projects that may have similarities to your projects, with savings that may surprise you! 

Resourceful Kansas Gets a Nod on the DOE's Energy Blog

It turns out there’s more to harvest in Kansas than just wheat and soybeans. At least that's according to a post on the DOE's Energy Blog: Resourceful Kansas Puts Energy Efficient Technology on Display, Demonstrates Cost-Saving Benefits. 

According to public affairs specialist Lindsey Geisler, as one of the windiest states in the country, (Kansas is) a great place to harness wind power. And through the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program, the Resourceful Kansas team of GBA, Riley County Public Works, and Kansas State University is teaching the rest of the state about a wide variety of technologies available. 

Read more about the program on the DOE's Energy Blog or visit the Resourceful Kansas webite. You may be eligible to participate!   

K-7 / Johnson Drive Interchange Receives Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award from the Eastern Chapter of KSPE



A unique interchange at Kansas Highway 7 and Johnson Drive in Shawnee, Kansas, has been honored by the Eastern Chapter of KSPE with the Chapter’s Outstanding Engineering Achievement award for 2011. Partners in the project include the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), the City of Shawnee, Kansas, and GBA. 

The project, which is on schedule for completion in November of this year, will replace a signalized intersection on K-7 at Johnson Drive/55th Street by constructing a modified single-point urban interchange with a large, multi-lane roundabout where ramps intersect Johnson Drive. The project will raise the profile of K-7 over Johnson Drive and will improve K-7 to interstate standards by providing a four-lane divided freeway. Provisions have also been included to add an additional lane in each direction as traffic volumes warrant. Two additional multi-lane roundabouts are being built on Johnson Drive on either side of K-7. 

Accepting the Outstanding Engineering Achievement award are (from left) Howard Lubliner, P.E., project manager, KDOT; Todd Jones, P.E., project manager, GBA; and Doug Wesselschmidt, P.E., Director of Development Services/City Engineer, City of Shawnee.





According to GBA Project Manager Todd Jones, P.E., development along the K-7 corridor prompted the improvements. "The interchange will replace a potentially dangerous signalized intersection that accommodated about 30,000 vehicles each day," Jones said. "During peak traffic, left-turn lane queues backed onto through lanes of K-7, creating safety concerns." When the project is completed, the intersection will handle the projected traffic volume for 2040.

Winners of Chapter awards will be considered for awards at the state level, which will be presented at the KSPE Annual Conference Awards Luncheon Thursday, June 23rd at the Hyatt in Wichita. 

New Interchange at Strother Road and I-470 in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Receives 2011 Capstone Award for Infrastructure from the Kansas City Business Journal; GBA Part of Winning Project Team

An interchange at Strother Road and Interstate-470 in Lee’s Summit has been named a winner of a Capstone Award in the Infrastructure category by the Kansas City Business Journal. Now in its sixth year, the Capstone Award program honors outstanding real estate development projects and transactions throughout the Kansas City area. According to the Business Journal, a panel of judges reviewed the applications, considering visual aesthetics, new technological concepts, and a project’s relevance to the community. The goal of the awards program is to look beyond dollar figures and square footages and consider how these projects are shaping the community.

Construction of an interchange at Strother Road was a long-time goal, a key component in the City of Lee’s Summit Master Plan as well as in earlier traffic and market studies. An interchange and enhanced local road system was expected to encourage development along the corridor, ultimately serving some six million square feet of office space, 2.5 million square feet of industrial space, and about 2,400 residential units. Based on anticipated land uses, more than 24,000 employees would ultimately be attracted to planned developments within the vicinity of the project daily.

GBA is part of the team that made the Strother Road interchange project a reality, providing traffic engineering needed to complete the Purpose and Need, Location Study, and Environmental Assessment required by MoDOT and the federal NEPA process. GBA also prepared construction plans for about 2.5 miles of local roadways built in conjunction with the new interchange. And because of the close proximity of Jackson County’s Lake Jacomo to the roadway network, extensive hydraulic and drainage studies were completed as well. GBA’s involvement also included input on lane configuration and traffic control strategies for the interchange and designs for traffic signalization, street lighting, pavement marking, permanent signing, and traffic control during construction.

gbaSI Staffers Fill Sandbags to Help Protect the City of Davenport, Iowa, from Mississippi Floodwaters

When floodwaters threatened the City of Davenport, Iowa, a dedicated group of gba Systems Integrators’ staff immediately pitched in to help by filling sandbags for the City’s Public Works Department. “All of us live in the Quad Cities area on the Mississippi,” said gbaSI’s Chuck Metzger. “We all know someone, either family or friends, who suffer either property loss or damage when the river floods.” In addition to Chuck, staffers Jayne Robnett, Tuan Nguyen, and Collin Dyer went to work with four other volunteers to fill enough sandbags to consume three truckloads of sand! Special thanks to our committed – and weary – volunteers!

According to Chuck, the river crested on Saturday, April 23 at 20.7 feet and although flooding was significant, it could have been even worse without the help of hundreds of volunteers. “We were very pleased to be a part of that group,” said Chuck, who explained that both gbaSI and GBA have worked with the City of Davenport. This was the sixth highest river crest on record. Now the cleanup has begun. A record crest of 22.63 feet occurred during the floods of 1993! In addition to Davenport, the Quad Cities area includes Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline in Illinois. 

gbaSI - a GBA Company headquartered in Rock Island - provides traffic coordination for complex corridors and develops traffic-responsive programs in newly designed coordination systems. gba SI also designs, installs, and manages computerized communication networks and camera systems for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Advanced Transportation Management Systems, traffic signal control systems, and communication systems for sewer treatment plants and for college campuses, manufacturing complexes, and other large-scale facilities.