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!