The Mid-States Highway-Railroad Safety Conference is a two-day conference at The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri on May 14-15, 2025. This event is for railroad professionals, companies and municipalities planning roadway projects that interact with railroad property as well as state departments of transportation (DOTs) and stakeholders with an interest in railroad crossings.

The event will begin on May 14 at 9 a.m. with Registration & Breakfast beginning at 8 a.m. We plan to have a day full of presentations with breakfast and lunch provided, followed by a fun evening out in the Power & Light District that includes social and dinner (see details below). On May 15, the day will begin at 8 a.m. with breakfast starting at 7:30 a.m. and the conference will end at 12 p.m.

Register Now!

Registration ends May 2nd . Go to the registration page, fill out the form and go to the payment page to complete your registration.

Agenda

Day 1 - Wednesday May 14, 2025

Time	Event
8:00 - 9:00 AM	REGISTRATION and BREAKFAST Sponsored by Union Pacific and Olsson
9:00 - 9:10 AM	Welcome and Safety Briefing - Alex Schroeder (MoDOT, Administrator of Railroads)
9:10-9:30	Federal Railroads Administration - Debra Chappell (FRA)
9:30 - 9:50 AM	American Association of State Highways and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Update - Barley Fields (Associate Program Manager for Multimodal Transportation)
9:50 - 10:10 AM	Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Update - John Miller, P.E., RSP, Transportation Specialist (Safety and Mobility Engineer)
10:10 - 10:30 AM	BREAK
10:30 - Noon	Operation Lifesaver Updates - Rachel Maleh (Executive Director); Matt Vogt (Kansas); Tim Hull (Missouri); Rich Kotan (Nebraska); Francis Edeker (Iowa); Bill Pearsall (llinois); Richard Hansen (Minnesota)
Noon- 1:00 PM	LUNCH Sponsored by BNSF and CMT
1:00 - 1:30 PM	Federal Railroad Grade Crossing - Cecilia Diaz (Railroad Grade Crossing Inspector, FRA)
1:30-1:50 PM	Union Pacific Railroad Update - Chris Keckeisen (Industry and Public Projects, Union Pacific)
1:50 - 2:10 PM	CPKC Update - Kyle Spree (US Manager of Public Works)
2:10 - 2:30 PM	Kansas City Streetcar Presentation - Tom Gerend (Executive Director, Kansas City Streetcar Authority)
2:30 - 2:45 PM	BREAK Sponsored by Wilson & Company and HDR
2:45 - 3:15 PM	Panel Discussion 1 - Public vs. Private Crossings (Julie Whitcher - Minnesota; Eric Curtit CMT; David Swiercek - MoDOT)
3:15 - 3:35 PM	BNSF Public Infrastructure and Investments - Jim Townsend (Associate VP, Wilson & Company; Kara Brockamp, BNSF)
3:35 - 4:05 PM	Panel Discussion 2: Out of Service/Abandoned Rail - Kris Klop, Iowa DOT; Bill Pearsall, Illinois; Travis Haberman, Nebraska DOT
4:05 - 5:30 PM	Tour of Kansas City Streetcar Maintenance Facility and Yard - Meet in Hotel Lobby, Yard Tour at Singleton Yard, 600 E 3rd Street
6:00 - 8:00 PM	EVENING SOCIAL AND DINNER Sponsored by GFT, CPKC and Benesch - Sinkers Lounge, 53 W 13th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105

Day 2 - Thursday May 15, 2025

Time	Event
7:15 - 8:00 AM	BREAKFAST - Starlight Room: Sponsored by Tavala Solutions and Island Radar
8:00 - 8:20 AM	Wisconsin Department of Transportation: Rail Crossing Safety Grant Projects - Kristen Sommer (Railroad Engineer and Safety Supervisor)
8:20 - 8:40 AM	BNSF Railway Update - French Thompson (General Director, Public Infrastructure and Investments)
8:40 - 9:00 AM	Texas Department of Transportation Section 130 Program Management Success - Doug Henry (TxDOT); Blanca Obregon, P.E. (GFT)
9:00 - 10:30 AM	State DOT Updates - Shawn Hennes (Kansas); Alex Schroeder (Missouri); Travis Haberman (Nebraska); Kristopher Klop (Iowa); William Pearsall (Illinois); Julie Witcher (Minnesota); Kris Sommers (Wisconsin)
10:30 - 10:50 AM	BREAK
10:50 - 11:20 AM	Panel Discussion 3: Crossing Exemptions - Eric Curtit (Sr. Rail Planning Lead, CMT); Bill Pearsall (lllinois DOT)
11:20 - 11:40 AM	Grade Crossing Grant Program Lessons Learned - Lisa Koch, AICP (GFT)
11:40 - Noon	American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association Update - Michael Ogborn
Noon - 12:20 PM	Open Forum and Wrap Up - Alex Schroeder (Administrator of Railroads, MoDOT)