Highway

Two people are dead following a two-vehicle collision just feet from the Kansas-Oklahoma state line. According to Shane Farley of the local website Newscow.net, the crash happened around eight Tuesday night on Highway 77, south of Arkansas City. The coroner tells Farley both people are from Oklahoma. There is some question as to which state the crash site is in. Authorities have closed the northbound lane while they investigate the scene. Traffic is being diverted.

A highway in western Kansas is now designated as an historic byway, the first highway to receive this designation in Kansas. The byway is the Western Vistas Historic Byway in Logan, Scott and Wallace counties. The 102 mile route begins at Scott City on U.S. 83 and ends on U.S. 40 at Sharon Springs. According to the Kansas Department of Transportation, to be designated as historic, a byway "must have resources that are significant historically, be numerous, be visible and have a setting or character that is complementary to the resources".

Over the last month, Highway 254 has earned itself a reputation. "It really concerns me when I see the number of accidents that are occurring," says Tracy Phillips. "Pay attention. " Attention is now what a portion of Highway 254 is getting. Three fatalities over one weekend in August prompted an investigation by KDOT of four intersections along the corridor. On Thursday, KDOT revealed its findings in a report concerning Rock, Greenwich, Webb and Ohio Street.

Citizens in Salina woke up to snow cover Thursday morning. Police said they responded to about ten accidents overnight during the snow storm. Some drivers said they had problems commuting in the early morning. "Everything was a solid sheet of ice about 7:30 or 7:00 this morning," Wes Spratlen said. "They were pretty slick, I had trouble getting out of my driveway and around the corners," Angela Harper said. Driving neighborhood roads proved to be a challenge while traffic on some stretches of the highway came to a standstill.

Drivers call them dangerous. But now, some intersections along Highway 254 between El Dorado and Wichita may have gotten a little safer. We covered three fatality accidents along the highway just last month. KDOT looked into it, and ruled there weren't enough accidents to warrant installing rumble strips to warn drivers, but today they were put in anyway. Drivers call it the sound of safety but the noise on Ohio Street ,in Butler County, comes from rumble strips, cut into the road, this week, in hopes of slowing down drivers.

Kansas Department of Transportation officials have apologized for confusion over recent changes to highways in Kingman and Reno counties. The announcement comes one day after Reno County officials shared their concerns that renaming the highways could hamper emergency response time efforts. Emergency managers said drivers who didn't know about the changes reported an incident, and dispatchers would have to interpret where exactly emergency crews should respond. Click here to read KDOT's full apology In a Facebook post, KDOT said the official change was misinterpreted and should not have occurred.

A Great Bend man is in fair condition after his truck strikes a guardrail, flies off a highway and lands on a railroad track in Staffordo County. The accident happened Thursday afternoon just south of St. John on U.S. Hwy 281. According to the St. John News, one train passed the accident right after it happened. A second train was stalled between St. John and Bartles while emergency crews cleared the track of debris. The truck, owned by 33-year-old Rollin Anderson, came to rest on its wheels after the 32-foot fall.

A crash near the town of Zenith kills a Reno County man. courtesy: Terry Spradley/St. John News Map - Zenith, Kansas The crash happened just before one o'clock Wednesday afternoon on Highway 50. A semi truck and a pickup carrying a motorcycle and hauling a small trailer collided. courtesy: Terry Spradley/St. John News Twenty-three year-old Jeremy Bowley from Hutchinson died in the wreck.

A semi driver killed when his truck slammed into a train in Harvey County has been identified as 80-year-old Herbert Entz.  The crash happened around 1:30 Tuesday near Highway 196 and Osage. The Kansas Highway Patrol says Entz was carrying a double-trailer when the accident happened. He was headed east on Highway 196 and was struck by the front end fo the train. Eyewitnesses waiting on the opposite side of the tracks as the semi came through say the railroad crossing lights were flashing and the crossbars were down.

Authorities are looking into what caused a semi crash along I-70 Wednesday morning.  It happened in Lincoln County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says two people were in the semi when it crashed.  One of them was flown to a hospital for treatment.   The highway was closed for a short time while crews cleaned up the scene, but it is back open now.

As road conditions continue to deteriorate, the Kansas Department of Transportation is keeping a close eye on things.  FactFinder 12 asked how they come to the decision of when the close roads, especially a large interstate like I-70. Click here for Storm Shots A K-DOT spokesperson tells us that several factors go into making the decision and the condition of the road is just part of it.  They also take into account hotel accommodations along the highway.  Since there are not a lot of large towns with hundreds of hotel rooms along I-70, the interstate is often closed to keep travelers from getting stranded.

Kansas Department of Transportation officials have apologized for confusion over recent changes to highways in Kingman and Reno counties. The announcement comes one day after Reno County officials shared their concerns that renaming the highways could hamper emergency response time efforts. Emergency managers said drivers who didn't know about the changes reported an incident, and dispatchers would have to interpret where exactly emergency crews should respond. Click here to read KDOT's full apology In a Facebook post, KDOT said the official change was misinterpreted and should not have occurred.

Recent changes to Kansas roadways have been causing some confusion with drivers and emergency responders. The Kansas Department of Transportation redesignated segments of highways K-14, K-61, K-96 and K-17 in Kingman and Reno Counties. State Highway 14 from US-54 to K-61 has been changed to K-11. K-17 from US-54 to K-96 is now K-14. K-96 to Nickerson has been redesignated as Highway K-14 with K96 Dual. Official roadway changes have not been communicated.

Citizens in Salina woke up to snow cover Thursday morning. Police said they responded to about ten accidents overnight during the snow storm. Some drivers said they had problems commuting in the early morning. "Everything was a solid sheet of ice about 7:30 or 7:00 this morning," Wes Spratlen said. "They were pretty slick, I had trouble getting out of my driveway and around the corners," Angela Harper said. Driving neighborhood roads proved to be a challenge while traffic on some stretches of the highway came to a standstill.

If you hit a deer, you need to report it to authorities so the animal can be removed from the roadway. Wichita police are reminding the public of this after an officer got into an accident because she swerved to miss a dead deer. Around four Sunday morning, the officer was headed to a call.  She was driving eastbound on K-96 near Oliver when she saw a large object on the road.  The object turned out to be a deer which had been hit by another vehicle. The officer swerved to miss the deer, went into the median, struck the cable barrier and then spun out. She wasn't hurt, but the patrol car was badly damaged.

State transportation officials face less money, and they are askign communities where it should be sued. The Kansas Department of Transportation came to Dodge City Wednesday. Representatives from KDOT talked with city and county leaders about current and future road work. In order to have projects ready to go when funding becomes available, KDOT must complete preliminary studies, purchases and design work. "It's really a follow-up to what we have promised in the past. Every couple of years we will come out and host what we call 'local consulatation' and, again, gather our local owners, our state partners and talk about transportation issues and transportation needs within the region," said KDOT spokesperson Jerry Younger.

A blown tire causes an accident killing one child, and injuring five others. It happened Saturday afternoon on Highway 50, 14 miles west of Cimarron. The Kansas Highway Patrol reports the driver lost control when the tire blew.  The vehicle crossed the highway's center line before rolling one time and coming to a rest in the ditch. A six year old girl from Cimarron was pronounced dead at the scene.  Another six year old girl was flown to a Wichita hospital for treatment.

A morning crash leaves an 18-year-old from St. John critically hurt.  It happened just before eleven Thursday morning at the junction of Highway 50 and Highway 281. The highway patrol says 18-year-old Hannah Holmes stopped at the intersection and then pulled out in front of a semi.  Her van was broadsided and then rolled.  Holmes was taken to a Wichita hospital.  The driver of the semi was not hurt.

Talk about lucky ducks!  Brian, Kara and Mark check out a video of a momma duck and several ducklings crossing a busy highway in Canada.  Be sure to watch Eyewitness News This Morning Monday - Friday from 5 - 7 am on KWCH and 7 - 9 am on KSCW. (No ducks were harmed in the making of this film)   Ducks on the Highway