KCATA Announces Distinguished Drivers

Posted on: Oct 19, 2011

86 Metro Bus Operators ‘Distinguished’ As the Best in Safety and Customer Service

(Kansas City, Mo. – Oct. 6, 2011) The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) will honor 86 full- and part-time Metro bus operators during the 27th annual Distinguished Drivers Awards Ceremony on Thursday, Oct., 13. Two ceremonies will be held, one at 10 a.m. and one at 2 p.m. in the KCATA Trainmen’s Room, 1350 E. 17th St. The 2011 award recipients met rigid criteria that emphasize driver safety, customer service, reliability and attendance in a 12-month period from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011. Metro operators are eligible for the honor if they have: The Distinguished Drivers ceremony will honor operators in four categories; Meritorious Drivers are recognized for having met the high standards required of a distinguished driver 15 years. Grand Master Driver awards are presented to operators who have earned distinguished driver status 10 years, and the Master Driver recognition will be awarded to six operators earning five years as a distinguished driver. The remaining 80 operators earned distinguished driver status during the current program year, including four operators with more than 20 Distinguished Drivers awards: Dean Berkley, 24 years; Jerry Gardner, 21 years; James Horton, 24 years; and O.B. Jemerson, 25 years. 2011 Meritorious Drivers 2011 Grand Master Drivers 2011 Master Drivers

Final Open House to Present State Avenue Corridor Transit Improvements

Posted on: Oct 12, 2011

Detailed design plans for the new State Avenue | Kansas City, Ks. (KCK) Connex transit corridor will be on display from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011, at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Parish Hall (1086 N. 94th St., Kansas City, KS 66112). Access to Parish Hall is available off State Avenue west of 94th St. The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) and Unified Government Transit of Wyandotte County-Kansas City, Ks. (UGT), are holding this final open house to share the improvement plans with the community. The meeting will allow area residents, businesses and commuters to review project exhibits and provide comment. KCATA and UGT staff, along with the consultant design team, will be on hand to answer questions and discuss details. Displays will provide information about the overall design of the corridor plus specific plans for two new MetroCenters: Midtown KCK (47th and State Ave.) and Downtown KCK (7th and Minnesota Ave.). Both transit centers will be custom-built with improved passenger waiting areas and amenities, such as kiosks that provide real-time passenger information. Other State Avenue | KCK Connex stop improvements include bus passenger shelters and benches, bus stop platforms, landscaping, environmentally friendly features and improved pedestrian connections. KCATA and UGT have secured federal TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) funding to improve the existing Minnesota/State Avenue corridor. The improvements will be made along the transit route that begins at the 10th and Main MetroCenter in downtown Kansas City, Mo., travels through Downtown Kansas City, Ks., and ends at Village West at 109th and Parallel Parkway in Wyandotte County before returning in the opposite direction. The route will serve activity centers and neighborhoods along State and Minnesota avenues. State Avenue | KCK Connex will be complete in 2013. As a major east-west connection to the metropolitan area, State Avenue links Kansas City’s revitalized urban core to new development occurring farther west. In addition, with two new transit centers providing regional connections, improving State Avenue as a Connex route supports the regional vision for enhanced and expanded regional transit in Kansas City. State Avenue | KCK Connex will improve transit facilities and continue to provide access to jobs, support economic development and provide efficient transportation. Transit service is available on route 101 Minnesota/State Ave. It travels to State & 94th, which is one block north of the church. Service is available every half hour until approximately 7 p.m. For information, log on to [url=http://www.kcata.org]http://www.kcata.org[/url] or call 816-221-0660 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. For more information, visit the project web page at [url=http://www.kcata.org]http://www.kcata.org[/url] or the TIGER web page at [url=http://www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/faqs.htm]http://www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/faqs.htm[/url]. If you require a sign language interpreter or other communication aids at the meeting, please call Keith Sanders, KCATA Project Manager, at (816) 346-0359, or UGT Interim Transit Manager Emerick Cross at 913-573-6784 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.