KC Scout Shout!

KC Scout is known for hosting tours of its Traffic Management Center. Recently, however, they opened their doors to the children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, and more of MoDOT Kansas City employees as part of Bring Your Child to Work Day. The team had several learning activities for the guests allowing them to see what working in the Traffic Management Center involves every day.  One of activities let the kids control a camera in the district office parking lot on the hunt for various flags that had been placed throughout the area. This simulation allowed the kids see what it is like for KC Scout operators detecting traffic incidents on the roadway through the use of traffic cameras. Additionally, the guests were invited to create their own safety messages for KC Scout's digital message sign boards.  "We used several sets of Scrabble tiles to help the children form their DMS safety messages, to be sure they fit the “18-character” rule per line!  Many of the older child

Recently, KC Scout welcomed National Highway and Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA)'s Aaron Bartlet t back to their Traffic Management Center. The visit kicked off NHTSA's continu ing e ffort to study Move Over laws in the region. Rather than manually tallying results, the organization is looking to use traffic analytics and KC Scout's CCTVs for this traffic study. Alongside Bartlett is NHTSA intern Haley Galliher who is studying public policy and administration at Virginia Tech.  As part of the study, KC Scout will work with NHTSA, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center this summer on a pilot program. Their goal is to use a developed Volpe program in KC Scout's environment in conjunction with KC Scout's CCTVs. Galliher will be responsible for studying the validity of its deployment and if successful, the unique partnership could set the nation's standard for effectively studying Move Over compliance

Each year, MoDOT hosts an Innovations Challenge inviting employees from around the state to enter their innovations that improve safety, save money, save time, and simplify work for the department. This year, KC District Emergency Response won the overall Productivity Award for their Swivel DMS board innovation. This innovation mounts existing DMS boards to a swivel mount accessory kit installed on an emergency response truck.  "This innovation allows the operator to turn the message sign with a handheld controller safely from inside the cab of the vehicle. It also locks the board into any viewing position needed," says Emergency Response Operations Supervisor, Scott Banes. Banes says that this innovation benefits both employees and motorists in the metro area. "It keeps our crews and the public safer by allowing for greater flexibility in positioning the signs for maximum viewing," he explains. Implemented in 2022 by Scott Banes and Hector Ortiz, the inno

One of KC Scout's core values is teamwork. As a bi-state agency, this quality is especially important for success. The team looks for ways throughout the year to further that sense of teamwork and camaraderie . As part of those efforts, this year the team made mental health a main priority. During the group's 2023 Strategic Planning Meeting, they  were  asked to rank 12 items that would help increase their happiness at work , and mental health and well-being ranked second in priority.  "Mental health training helps employees recognize the signs of mental distress in themselves and others," explains KC Scout Manager Randy Johnson. "This helps them not only handle larger crises, but also to intervene before the distress becomes an emergency." According to Johnson, he has already noticed a change in behavior with an increase in sharing and openness of how they are doing since the training ended.  "They have gained some knowledge and skills that

KC Scout recently hosted a Collaboration Celebration in honor of the combined 94 years of service between MoDOT Emergency Response, KDOT/KHP Motorist Assist, KC Scout, and Mid America Regional Council’s Operation Green Light program. The event, held on Wednesday, June 14, brought together four agencies and their partners in the KC metro area to celebrate their own milestones, as well as their shared goals to keep KC metro roadways safer. “The Kansas City metro area has drivers from both Missouri and Kansas sharing the roadways every day. Because KC Scout is the nation’s only bi-state Traffic Management Center, we felt it was important to highlight that bi-state partnership during our anniversary event,” says KC Scout Manager Randy Johnson. The year of 2023 has milestones for each agency:     MoDOT Emergency Response celebrates 30 years of service KDOT/KHP Motorist Assist celebrates 29 years of service KC Scout celebrates 20 years of service MARC’s Operation Green Light celebrates 1

From a World Series Championship, two Superbowl wins, celebratory parades, and the Big 12 Championship, Kansas City is a busy place! Each of these major events brought in thousands of visitors to the city - and quite a bit of traffic! This year, Kansas City hosted the NFL Draft and because of that influx of traffic, two KC Scout employees were called to assist!  KC Scout's Incident Coordinator Marcus Slaughter and KDOT Liaison Michael Flory represented KC Scout in the event's main command center. The duo aided the team in their efforts to monitor highway traffic into downtown. This involved quite a bit of camera monitoring (nearly 14 hours of it!) and making sure attendees weren't parking along the interstates or impeding regular traffic. Slaughter was asked to join the team by the NFL and community partners on behalf KC Scout representing both Missouri and Kansas.  "This wasn't our first rodeo," explains Slaughter. "The 2015 World Series Championshi