Gotta Get a Gator Getter!

You've seen it before: The slow moving truck with a large flashing arrow pushing you into the next lane. The laborious progression as crews hop from the truck to retrieve the random tire tread, couch cushions, laundry basket, branches or the hapless deer who crossed too soon. It's the debris removal crew snaking through the city, keeping MoDOT routes safe. Now we're testing a new tool that could make that process faster and safer.


It's the Gator Getter! 


Custom built to fit MoDOT's larger truck, this innovative machine scoops up trash while the vehicle travels with traffic at a comfortable 45 to 50 mph. There are only four in existence, and this is the only one in the U.S.


Because the Gator Getter operates in the midst of traffic, MoDOT no longer has to provide traffic control or close a lane while removing debris from the highway.  That means fewer delays for motorists and safer conditions for workers. 


If only I could get a smaller version for my living room!


During the testing phase, MoDOT crews are offering feedback to the company to make the product stronger and more versatile to handle the array of trash types and sizes. The next version will likely have a different style of blade and heavier body.


MoDOT crews pick up debris year-round, which can range from general car trash to pieces of furniture. One of the most common items - tires and tread - is actually separated and turned over to Missouri Vocational Enterprises so it can be shredded and reused as tire-derived fuel for power plants.


Find more details about this innovation below and watch the Gator Getter in action!

Light Up the Sky

D5411_CM_03, a photo by MoDOT Photos on Flickr.

The new Christopher S. Bond Bridge in Kansas City took on a whole new light on July 3, and it became a real blast.

The bridge features a unique lighting system with a series of interconnected color-changing panels - 106 of them - able to display thousands of colors in a variety of patterns. There are nine lighting packages that can be used throughout the year to reflect the city's seasons, holiday and regional events.

The inaugural lighting debut kicked off just minutes before the fireworks extravaganza celebrating KCRiverFest over the Fourth of July holiday.

Don't miss the rest of these photos on Flickr!

The Wheelies Are Optional

It isn’t every day that your job requires you to wear a bike helmet, but on Nov. 8, staff from MoDOT’s Kansas City office wore their helmets with pride as they rode through town on two wheels as part of a workshop for transportation planners and engineers on “Understanding a Cyclists Perspective.”

Hosted by the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation, the six-hour seminar introduced staff to the physical, mental and agility challenges of actually maneuvering a bicycle through active traffic. The agenda included classroom and hands-on sessions and covered:

·         Benefits of cycling

·         Principles of traffic law

·         Lane choice and position

·         Bicycle crashes

·         Sharing the road

·         Bike handling skills and urban practice ride

The concept of the workshop was developed as part MoBikeFed’s effort to form a new KC regional bike and pedestrian advocacy organization.

“This organization will partially focus its time and resources on bicycling and pedestrian education. A hallmark of this education will be to offer it to transportation staff and elected officials throughout the Kansas City region,” Said Eric Bunch, program coordinator for the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation.  “Before we take the program to a bigger audience we needed to get feedback from the experts. MoDOT District 4 has been a great supporter of bicycling in the Kansas City area, but as advocates, we realized that we could help MoDOT staff gain a better perspective of how our built environment works for cyclists.”  

This was the inaugural run for “Understanding a Cyclist's Perspective” but the workshop borrows elements from a program offered to the public called Traffic Skills 101. MoBikeFed hopes in the future to offer this workshop as a continuing education credit option for planners and engineers.

While most of the class was held in classroom session, the team did enjoy an hour-long bike ride through Lee’s Summit, Mo.’s urban streets.

I have always considered myself to be an experienced cyclist.  I have ridden my bike in urban, suburban and rural settings on roads, trails and even sidewalks,” said MoDOT Construction and Materials Engineer Perry Allen. “The training provided me what I need to know to ride safely and legally, especially in an urban and suburban setting. I found the class to be very informative and beneficial increasing both my interest, as well as my confidence as a cyclist.” 

The workshop is open to other groups and organizations. Contact Eric at 573.701.2492 or Eric.Bunch@mobikefed.org for details. 

MoDOT Demolishes, then Recycles, Route 40 Bridge

Everyone knows you can recycle that old cereal box, your soda can from dinner and even a glass bottle, but what about a bridge? Yeah, you can recycle that! On July 10, the MoDOT-Kansas City district demolished the Route 40 bridge over Interstate 435, began the process to recycle 100 percent of the debris.

Built in 1966, the bridge is constructed of materials that are readily recycled today. After demolition, crews will retrieve:

• 2578 tons concrete, which will be used for base rock material or as rock ditch liner,

• 210 tons reinforcing steel, will be collected and delivered to a recycler,

• 579 feet of aluminum handrail, will also be collected and delivered to a recycler.

“Recycling our materials is a priority in this job,” Said MoDOT Construction and Materials Engineer Perry Allen. “One hundred percent of this bridge is recyclable and we plan to salvage all 100 percent.”

Large-scale recycling is not a new concept for the department. MoDOT leads the nation in the number of recycled roof shingles added to asphalt mixtures.

• 325,000 tons of concrete and asphalt were recycled and reused during the reconstruction of a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 64 in St. Louis.

• When the Route 19 Missouri River Bridge near Hermann was taken down, about 2,000 tons of steel from the structure was recycled.

• MoDOT has used enough recycled tires in its construction projects over the past two years to equip 20,000 cars.

• About 70 percent of state highway signs are produced from reclaimed material.

• Using the latest technology, MoDOT can actually recycle entire asphalt roads.

Bridge demolition is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded project to add a third lane to I-70 in each direction and improve the interchange at I-435. It also will include removing and replacing the Blue Ridge Cutoff (George Brett) Bridge over I-70 next year.

More than 50 local citizens and media stayed up into the wee hours on Sunday to watch the explosion, and treated the crew to a rousing round of applause.

Massive Concrete Girders are a Missouri First

The single-longest, precast, concrete bridge girders in Missouri state history were installed this week on MoDOT's kcICON design-build project. The 150-foot girders are part of a new land bridge that will span northbound Interstate 29/35 and carry southbound Interstate 29/35 traffic headed for The Paseo, Independence Avenue, and points beyond.

"Imagine a single, I-shaped piece of concrete that stretches from a football field's end zone to the 50-yard line," said kcICON Project Director Brian Kidwell. "Moving just one of these 150,000 pound girders is like lifting the equivalent weight of 70 classic Volkswagen Beetles."

Learn more about the girders from MoDOT Engineer Tom Skinner in this podcast.

Visit the project Web site at http://www.kcicon.com/ or find them on facebook by searching "kcICON project."
 

One Million and Counting...

Kansas City's Interstate 29/35 Bond Bridge Project On Time, On Budget

MoDOT Director Pete Rahn joined the kcIcon Project Community Advisory Group, Workforce Development Committee members, and the Paseo Corridor Constructors contractor team to speak last week about the fantastic record of the kcICON project.

One million design and construction man-hours have been logged to date.

The iconic 316-foot center pylon is complete, with eight of its 40 stay cables already in place. Another cool feature of this project coming up is a continuous 134-foot-wide bridge deck concrete pour -- that's the single widest in the history of MoDOT projects!

The kcICON project has supported jobs and economic growth for the city. Seventy minority, female and economically disadvantaged On-The-Job Trainees have contributed about 63,000 hours to the project, gaining valuable training for long-term careers in construction.

The $245 million project is 67 percent complete, keeping it on schedule for completion by July of next year. Check http://www.kcicon.com/ to keep up with the latest on this project. Add it as a favorite - you won't want to miss out on the many interesting features of this project.

Missouri Miles

Many people may not realize how much transportation really affects them. More than just road work or your daily commute, transportation affects how you live, work and play each day in Missouri.

To show you the scenes behind those orange cones, MoDOT has started a video series to keep you up-to-date on everything Missouri. We take you along Missouri Miles to show you construction projects in your area, provide tips on safe travel and show some unique perspectives of how transportation affects you. With our pilot show, you even get a chance to take a road trip to Bennet Springs for a little winter fishing.

Travel Missouri Miles each month by visiting www.modot.org/modotvideos or through our YouTube channel. Let us know what you think, and what you might like to see covered on a later show.

Tall, Orange and Handsome

Hold onto that steering wheel.

This week, a tall, orange and handsome stranger arrived in Kansas City. Known as Barrel Bob, he began his job this week as a fixture on the kcICON Project, reminding motorists to slow down and take it easy in a work zone.

Barrel Bob won't be a stranger for long -- he has a debut appearance in a PSA about driving safely in the kcICON Corridor. Don't miss it.
Who's behind those barrels? He's the creation of Robert Ohl, a Clarkson Construction employee. Barrel Bob took about 10 hours to build and comes in standard safety gear.

"Name the Train" Contest Announced for Amtrak Kansas City to St. Louis Service

JEFFERSON CITY and ST. LOUIS - A celebration of 30 years of state-supported passenger rail across Missouri, as well as major service improvements in the works, are the reasons the Missouri Department of Transportation and Amtrak® are pleased to announce a contest to give the trains a brand-new name. The "Name the Train" contest will rely on train fans everywhere to first suggest and then select the best "brand-name" for the service between St. Louis and Kansas City.

There will be three phases to the contest. First, submit your favorite name between Nov. 10 and Dec. 10. Contest entries may be submitted online at http://www.morail.org/; mailed to MoDOT, Name the Train Contest, P.O. Box 270, Jefferson City, MO 65102; or hand-delivered to any MoDOT district office (locations at modot.org). Contest rules are posted at the morail.org website.

Contest judges will select five names as finalists. Between, Dec. 16, 2008 and Jan. 16, 2009, voting will be conducted online or by a post card indicating your favorite finalist name. The new name will be announced by January 30, 2009.

The contest is open to anyone, but you must be a Missouri resident to win a prize. Five finalists will receive two round-trip coach tickets to any Amtrak destination in Missouri and a gift basket from one of five participating cities located on passenger rail line. The grand-prize winner will receive two round-trip sleeping car tickets to any Amtrak destination in the U.S.

Since 1979, Amtrak has provided state-supported passenger rail service between St. Louis and Kansas City. Amtrak runs two round trips daily. The trains carry tens of thousands of passengers a year with stops in St. Louis, Kirkwood, Washington, Hermann, Jefferson City, Sedalia, Warrensburg, Lee's Summit, Independence and Kansas City.

"With major track improvements to improve on-time service planned next spring, 2009 will be exciting for rail service in our state. It will be great to start it off with a new identity for our trains," said MoDOT Railroads Administrator Rod Massman. "We're looking for something that reminds folks of Missouri's great tradition of rail service, as well as the excitement and adventure of train travel. I'm looking forward to seeing what people come up with."

Missouri's cross-state passenger trains already have names, but they're little used and unknown to most people. One round-trip is called Missouri Service, formerly named the Ann Rutledge - a leftover from that train's Illinois origins. The other round-trip is called the Mules. Renaming the trains will create a single brand for the service, a practice that is common on other Amtrak corridors.

"This is a great time for Amtrak service in Missouri, with a new station opening in St. Louis, renovations at Sedalia and other upcoming rail improvements that will improve the quality of the service we provide," said Anne McGinnis, Amtrak Marketing, St. Louis. "The Name the Train contest" is a way for the citizens of the state of Missouri to participate in shaping our future."