Transportation

Wichita officials ushered four new transit buses into service Wednesday.

Mayor Carl Brewer and Wichita Transit Director Steve Spade joined city council members and others for the "inaugural ride."

City council members approved a plan Tuesday to purchase as many as 20 buses in the next two years to upgrade the aging fleet of 56 buses. The transit center's fleet travels nearly 2 million miles annually, and it's one of the oldest in the region.

The city of Wichita is launching a new advisory volunteer board for issues related to bicycling and walking.

The board will provide recommendations to the City Council, participate in planning and project development, evaluate policies; and make recommendations to City departments.

It will also play an influential role in implementing Wichita’s Bicycle Master Plan.

A limited merger of the Kansas Turnpike Authority and the Kansas Department of Transportation recently passed the House, but leaders in the Kansas Senate may be interested in something a bit more comprehensive.

The Kansas House has given first-round approval to a limited merger between the Kansas Department of Transportation and the Kansas Turnpike Authority, which manages the 236-mile toll road.

During last month’s back-to-back snow storms, the Kansas Department of Transportation reports their snow crews pretreated and plowed nearly 880,000 miles of highway – enough to circle the earth 35 times.

BY THE NUMBERS

Winter Storms Q and Rocky (weeks of Feb. 18 and 25)