Kansas Department of Transportation
The Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment (VRUSA) Tool has been selected as one of 12 national finalists in the 2025 America’s Transportation Awards (ATA).
The tool is vying for one of two top prizes: the People’s Choice Award and the Grand Prize.
The People’s Choice Award is determined by public votes. KDOT encourages all Kansans and supporters of road safety to cast their vote daily and visit americastransportationawards.org/. Voting is open until 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 17.
The Grand Prize on the other hand, is determined by a panel of transportation experts. Winners for each category will receive a $10,000 cash award for a charity or transportation-related scholarship of their choice.
The VRUSA Tool is a significant advancement in transportation safety. It uses data-driven safety information to pinpoint areas of concern for pedestrians, cyclists and individuals with disabilities.
Data from this tool allows local communities to prioritize infrastructure enhancements, leading to improved travel for everyone.
Since its launch, the tool has facilitated more than $40 million in new safety investments such as the construction of new sidewalks, improved crossings and enhanced bike infrastructure.
The tool directly addresses the urgent need to reduce pedestrian and cyclist crashes, which accounted for over 1,000 fatalities or serious injuries from 2014-2021.
The ATA program is sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments nationwide.
“The projects included in this year’s Top 12 show the wide range of work state DOTs tackle on a regular basis,” said Jim Tymon, AASHTO’s executive director. “Whether they are striving to save lives by creating a new vulnerable road user assessment tool or restoring waterways through dredging projects to help local businesses stay in operation, states are delivering for communities.”
