Working Together Improves Rail Safety in Winfield

Recently, a highway-rail crossing north of the town of Winfield, Mo. presented a quandary to the staff of MoDOT’s Railroad Section. The highway-rail crossing at Trackside Drive and the BNSF Railway Company railroad tracks had been the site of four serious accidents over the last 12 years, including three injuries and one fatality.

The warning devices at the crossing needed to be upgraded, but because the roadway there was privately owned, MoDOT was unable to spend state and federal safety funds to make an improvement.

Rail Section staff approached BNSF, the city and Victor Pipe Company, a local business and owner of the roadway, to discuss possible solutions. With the cooperation of all parties, the city agreed to annex that part of the roadway crossing the tracks, making it eligible for federal and state safety funds. In addition, MoDOT District 3’s office, Lincoln County and Victor Pipe Company agreed to assist with roadway improvements and signage.

“We appreciate the cooperation displayed by the city of Winfield, Victor Pipe Company, BNSF, Lincoln County and MoDOT’s local district to make this project a reality,” said Rod Massman, MoDOT’s railroad administrator. “It’s through these types of partnerships that we are able to achieve the maximum benefit from the finite amount of funds available to improve rail safety.”

Now the crossing has state-of-the-art flashing lights and gates warning devices, making it much safer for the public and railroad crews.

Don’t Be a Turkey This Thanksgiving

Every year around the holiday season, we send out safety information about how traffic crashes, and thus fatalities and injuries, go up during this period. And yet, every year we have more people killed and injured. So what can we say except…don’t be a turkey…drive sober and buckle up!

If you get to all of your holiday destinations this year, that’s something to be thankful for, because in 2008, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, 94 people died in traffic crashes in Missouri and 5,163 were injured.

That’s why the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety is using advertising messages to urge drivers not to drink, or to call a cab or designate a driver from Nov. 23 through Dec. 20.

Even if you are not involved in a crash, consider the consequences if you are caught driving while intoxicated: you could have your license suspended, or even lose it, incur thousands of dollars in fines, and end up spending your holiday in jail.

One other sure recipe that can turn a joyful holiday into a tragedy is failure to buckle up. Regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.

So, please make sure the only belt left unbuckled during the holidays is the one at the dinner table, not the one in your vehicle. And, if you’re drinking, just don’t drive. We want everyone to Arrive Alive.

To learn more about impaired driving or other safety programs, visit saveMOlives.com.

Experience the Thrill of Riding Amtrak's Missouri River Runner

As a child, I remember the thrill of riding Amtrak® for the very first time. After my Mom and I got on board, I eventually found my way to the top of a bi-level viewing car so I could look out at the awesome panoramic view of the countryside as it flashed by. It was an exhilarating experience; one I will never forget.

You can build the same type of fond memories for your family by choosing to take Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner across the Show Me State. It provides a comfortable ride on your way to discover Missouri’s natural beauty as it passes next to rugged bluffs, alongside the mighty Missouri River, through the country and by quaint, historic communities, many of which owe their very existence to the railroad.

See where the Missouri River Runner can take you on one of MoDOT’s newest YouTube videos at http://www.morail.org/. From Kansas City to St. Louis, there are plenty of great things to see and do along Missouri’s passenger rail corridor. Get on board the Missouri River Runner and experience all of what these great communities have to offer.

MoDOT Selling Off Property in Sales Blitz

It’s an all out property-selling blitz! This real estate needs to go, go, go!

Yes, it sounds like a sales pitch, because it is. MoDOT has 23 highly marketable properties on the block and now’s the time for interested purchasers to pounce.

The MoDOT real estate blitz only lasts through the end of the week, so anyone interested needs to go to www.modot.org/realtyforsale, pronto.

The blitz is an effort to sell as many of these properties in as short a period of time as possible. MoDOT wants this land in the hands of the right owners who will put it to good use. Whether you have land next to these areas, or you just want to create a new dog park, you have the chance to submit a bid or a sealed bid during the auction.

Who knows what you could get it for? What’s even better is that all the money generated from these sales goes back into building roads. It’s a win for everyone.

For more info, go to www.modot.org/realtyforsale … and do it now!

Feast and Famine

Roberta Broeker is MoDOT's chief financial officer. Her post today clarifies MoDOT's current state of funding and why there are challenges ahead.

This year has been both feast and famine in federal transportation funding. In February, the President signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. At a national level, it’s a massive bill totaling $787 billion dollars. Of that, $48 billion was allocated to transportation. When you crank through the math, $788 million of additional transportation dollars came to Missouri. That was broken up into $525 million to the Commission to administer (about two-thirds of the federal funds we receive in an average year); $93 million sub-allocated to the Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield metropolitan planning organizations; $19 million for transportation enhancement projects, the bulk of which we divvied up around the state and let our local planning partners pick the projects; and $151 million to other transportation modes.

We worked fast and furious to select projects and get the federal funds obligated, because the time lines imposed by the bill were short AND because the goal was getting people back to work.

Fast-forward to September 30 and the end of SAFETEA-LU, the multiyear bill that apportioned and controlled federal transportation spending across the nation. Built into SAFETEA-LU like a ticking time bomb was an $8.7 billion rescission of federal funds. What does that mean? The bill starts out telling states how much money is apportioned to them over the life of the bill, but then also the increments in which we’re allowed to “obligate” it to specific projects. It’s a way of managing the checkbook at the federal level, preventing states from spending all their money in the early years of the bill.

There was widespread speculation that before September 30, 2009 arrived, Congress would do away with the rescission, and let states have that money to build projects. Ultimately, that didn’t happen. For Missouri, that meant $202 million of potential projects were wiped off the books. We didn’t have to cancel any projects because we were allowed to parcel the rescission among the programs where there was still a difference between the amount originally apportioned to Missouri and the amount we’d already obligated to specific projects.

But in that unobligated difference were a world of possibilities. As I’ve read newspaper stories from around the state, local officials have commented on bridges that will be delayed for a year or more, and the need to regroup and figure out how to get planned projects off paper and make them reality.

As if that weren’t bad enough, the “continuing resolutions” Congress has passed to keep the federal program operating after SAFETEA-LU’s expiration have made finances even tighter. Continuing resolutions aren’t anything new. After the previous federal bill expired in September 2003, we had twelve continuing resolutions before SAFETEA-LU passed in August 2005. But they gave states slightly more money than in the expired bill. Due to the fiscal year 2009 rescissions, the two continuing resolutions we’ve had so far (one for the month of October, and a second one that runs through December 18) have given us federal funds not at the SAFETEA-LU level, but at that amount less rescinded amounts. So when you compare federal funds available for the first 75 days of this federal fiscal year to what we expected (level funding from last year), MoDOT and local planning partners have $57 million less available to obligate than we planned. That’s a difference of 30 percent.

Missouri Supports Our Veterans - Drive Safely

In honor of Veterans Day today, the electronic message boards along state interstates carry messages recognizing those who have served our country in the armed forces.

The signs, located throughout the state on Interstates 70, 44, 55, 29 and 35 and on U.S. Route 60, include a message that says, "Missouri Supports Our Veterans - Drive Safely."

"We want people to take a minute to think about the sacrifices our veterans have made for us," said Missouri Department of Transportation Director Pete Rahn.

When the electronic boards are not conveying information about travel times, traffic accidents, road conditions or work zones, MoDOT uses them to provide highway safety messages.

Taylor Swift Tackles Bad Driving Habits

Did anyone catch Saturday Night Light over the weekend hosted by Taylor Swift? If you did, you might have seen the hilarious skit for TRAAAPD or Teenagers Raising Awareness About Awful Parent Drivers. So much attention has been paid lately to texting while driving that we forget about some of the other bad driving habits that could create an unsafe situation. How many of you are guilty of some of these behaviors?

Driving While Trying to Balance Hot Coffee
Driving While Trying to Get Something Out of Your Purse
Driving While Racing to Nordstrom for a Sweater Sale
Driving While Trying to Give the “Birds and the Bees” Talk
Driving While Arguing With the GPS
Driving While Revealing Family Secrets
Driving While Trying to Find a Cell Phone You Dropped
Driving While Having a Sarcastic Conversation with the Car in Front of You
Driving While Singing Along to a Song You Don’t Know the Lyrics With

I can honestly say I’m guilty of at least five (but I’m not telling you which ones).

While the skit was hilarious, the dangerous driving situations were real. Next time you get behind the wheel remember your safety and the safety of others. Focus on your driving. That phone call or text message can wait. That sweater will still be there when you get to Nordstrom. And the GPS and the car in front of you – they aren’t listening anyway.

Watch the video here.

Working Like There's Snow Tomorrow

This weekend the temperatures are supposed to hit 75 in mid-Missouri, which makes me think of an end-of-season barbecue, mowing the lawn, taking a long walk outside and of course snow. Snow? Really? I know, it doesn’t make much sense, but as all Missourians know, the weather in our state can be quite unpredictable, so MoDOT crews prepare all equipment and supplies by Nov. 1 for the first snowfall.

And while we all hope the bad weather holds off for a while, we must prepare or suffer dire consequences. In 2008, 30 people were killed, 322 seriously injured and 2,536 received minor injuries in traffic crashes when there was snow, ice or slush on the roadway. Driving too fast for conditions and inattention were the top contributing factors in traffic crashes during the winter months last year.

And while our crews are out on the roads at all hours of the day, seven days a week when necessary to keep our roads safe, it is also the motorist’s job to drive cautiously, pay extra attention to signs and drive defensively.

MoDOT provides a traveler information map at www.modot.org/ with current road conditions to help drivers determine when it’s safe to travel. The map shows which roads are covered, partly covered, and clear.

For information on road conditions across the state, safe traveling tips and a diagram on driveway clearing techniques, visit www.modot.org/ or call 888-ASK MODOT. Recorded road-condition information is available at (800) 222-6400.

Elevator Racing

Race fans – if you like thrilling, high-stakes adventure, keep an eye on Missouri row crop farmers this month.

We’ve finally caught a break in the weather and in some areas, fields are starting to dry enough that harvest can begin. October’s monsoons kept combines and other machinery out of fields so, as a state, we’re waaaay behind. As my uncle used to say, “Those beans won’t pick themselves!”

Picking and harvesting is one thing. Farmers have to get food from the field to storage. That’s where MoDOT comes in. At the request of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, MoDOT issued emergency declarations that ease certain state transportation regulations through Nov. 30. While the declarations are in effect, farmers and other motor carriers are allowed to load their trucks up to 10 percent heavier than the legal licensed weight when transporting row crop commodities from the farm to a storage facility and from one storage facility to another. Those responding to the emergency may also operate their vehicles beyond the normal hours-of-service limits when hauling to storage facilities and returning the empty truck to the farm.

These heavier loads are not allowed on Missouri interstates, nor are they allowed on any bridge with a weight restriction lower than the gross weight of the loaded vehicle. When traveling over bridges, the drivers must limit their speed to 45 mph and drive down the center of two lanes.

Soooooo, if you see a truck running down the middle of a bridge, they’re not in distress or practicing their NASCAR blocking moves. They’re likely full of corn or beans and following the requirements of the declaration – unless they’ve painted a number on the door of their cab…

(A copy of Emergency Declaration 09-12 must be carried in each commercial motor vehicle that operates in response to the relief effort. Farmers must carry either 09-12 or 09-11. Both are posted on MoDOT Motor Carrier Services' Web site, www.modot.org/mcs.)

Trash Man

Have you seen this superhero alongside the road picking up trash? It’s Trash Man – better known as Cosmo from the Cosmo & JC show on Y107. He’s the best kind of super hero – the kind that keeps our roadsides cleaner and more attractive.

Trash Man picked up trash this morning along Highway 63 north of the AC/Grindstone exit. His “trashy” superhero costume consisted of a cape, suit and mask all made from trash bags.

I provided him with trash bags, a safety vest, gloves and a grabber and we went to work. In less than a half hour, we had already filled up a yellow trash bag. Some of the things we found: floss, lip gloss, a rubber glove and wallpaper along with tons of fast food trash, cigarette butts and paper.

Trash Man isn’t the only superhero out there picking up trash. MoDOT’s Adopt-a-Highway program currently has 4,140 adopter groups that clean up 5,872 miles of highway. Adopters perform about $1 million a year in litter cleanup and beautification efforts. The stretch of highway we picked up today was adopted by Evan Scholars at the University of Missouri.

To find out more about Adopt-a-Highway, call our toll free number at 888-ASK MODOT (275-6636) and ask for the Adopt-A-Highway coordinator or email us at aah@modot.mo.gov. You can also find out more information at www.nomoretrash.org.

Thanks to Y107’s Trash Man for doing his part to keep 63 litter-free. Check out the video of Trash Man below or see the photos at http://y107.com/cosmo-as-trash-man/#more-2770.

MoDOT Celebrates a Safe & Sound Centennial!

One hundred and counting! That’s the number of bridges the Missouri Department of Transportation has now fixed as a part of its commitment under the Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program – an initiative to fix 802 of the state’s worst bridges in five years.


This morning Gov. Jay Nixon joined MoDOT Director Pete Rahn, members of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission and local officials to celebrate the completion of a redeck project on the Route E bridge in Platte County over the Platte River. It was the 100th bridge completed since April when it reopened on October 24.


MoDOT and its contractor partners are working so fast on these projects that already seven more have been completed! There are another 13 under construction that will be completed before the end of the year. Since the first bridge was completed on April 23, 107 bridges have been improved in 194 days.


But if you think opening a bridge about every two days is impressive, wait until next year! In 2010, close to 250 bridges will be constructed. And almost 200 of those will be completely new bridges, built under the Design-Build portion of the Safe & Sound program by KTU Constructors.


Construction schedules are being completed, and MoDOT will be conducting community briefings through the winter months to provide construction and detour information while these bridges are closed.


The contract with KTU Constructors requires that the average closure be no more than 45 days. That's twice as fast as the normal 90 days it takes to build a new bridge.

Thank you, Missouri!

Missourians created jobs and saved lives when they approved Amendment 3 in November 2004. The constitutional change ended the diversion of some highway user fees to certain state agencies and redirected them to road and bridge projects.

We reached a milestone on Oct. 28 when we sold the last of the Amendment 3 bonds. This helped us leverage the additional funding and deliver 2,200 miles of smoother highways, 55 projects that were years down the road and 97 brand new projects that before were only a gleam in our eye. As a result, 83 percent of our major roads are in good condition today and traffic fatalities have decreased 24 percent since 2005.

Missouri voters deserve a big pat on the back and our thanks for investing in their highway system.

A Blast in Miami

If you talk about having a blast in Miami, chances are your audience is assuming you spent some time cruising South Beach.

Not the case for those who watched the first phase of demolition on the Miami River bridge in Missouri yesterday. Those Chariton county residents watched the excitement closer to home.

Dorothy Clements, a Miami resident, was there to watch the bridge dedication in 1939 and also there yesterday to watch the demolition. View the video below to hear her thoughts.

When the new structure is complete next fall, only the piers will remain from the original structure.

Making a Difference

Jim Feeney turned extra steps into extra miles last week, walking to raise awareness about work zone safety for his fellow MoDOT co-workers.

Feeney, a maintenance crew leader in the St. Louis area, walked 87.2 miles along the Katy Trail from Weldon Spring to Jefferson City to pay tribute to fellow workers who have been killed in the line of duty and to encourage support for a memorial honoring fallen MoDOT employees.

Feeney's wife, Theo, walked with him and was not surprised at all when her husband proposed the idea.

"That's Jim," said Theo. "This is normal because he likes to make a difference."

Halloween Hints

Halloween is a bittersweet time for me. My kids are too old to trick-or-treat, and I’m too old to celebrate, but I still have great memories of this hallowed tradition. I can recall my one-year-old daughter in her first costume - a pumpkin outfit - and watching the neighbor kids grow bigger and taller each year they rang our doorbell. I can think of my son announcing he was too big to hold hands and could go to the door by himself to get his treats. Mostly, I remember breathing a sigh of relief when the evening was over and everyone was home safe and sound.

That’s because while Halloween is a fun fall tradition, it’s also one of the deadliest nights of the year – largely due to impaired driving. This year, Halloween falls on a Saturday, making it an even bigger occasion to party. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 58 percent of all highway fatalities last Halloween involved an impaired driver. In Missouri, eight people were killed and 51 seriously injured in traffic crashes during last year’s Halloween weekend. Of the eight people killed, 50 percent involved an impaired driver and 57 percent were unbuckled.

So, while I know I’m going to sound like a preachy old mom, please keep these tips in mind if you’re thinking about celebrating this Halloween:
· Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.
· Before drinking, designate a sober driver and give that person your keys.
· If you’re impaired, take a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.
· If you suspect a drunk driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement.
· Always buckle up. It’s your best defense in a crash.

MoDOT Receives Two Governor’s Quality and Productivity Awards

Gov. Jay Nixon’s office gave MoDOT a big pat on the back last week. The department was honored with two Governor’s Awards for Quality and Productivity in the areas of customer service and technology. These annual awards go to state departments that demonstrate achievement in customer service, efficiency, innovation, process improvement or technology in government.

The customer service award recognized the popular online Traveler Information Map, which shows road conditions, work zones, incidents and flooding information. More than 1.5 million people have turned to map for travel information since it was launched.

The second award honored MoDOT’s revolutionary online method for increasing public participation on projects. With help from HNT!B, a transportation contractor, MoDOT launched the first virtual public meeting. These online meetings allow people to comment on plans and projects from the comfort of their own home and at the time that suits them best. As result, public comments on projects increased tenfold.

MoDOT is honored to receive these awards. Now we just have to figure out how to top them for next year!

Observations from the Field

I’ve been watching you – and what I see is good!


Hubby and I were on the road again – 465 rainy Missouri miles on Tuesday alone. That gave me a lot of time to watch how car, truck and commercial truck drivers behave.

I saw that most Missourians are safe travelers. Almost 8 out of 10 buckle up – that’s the best defense we’ve got against serious injury or death if a crash were to happen. And most people share the road quite nicely.

Because vehicles on our highways range from bicycles to specially permitted high and wide load commercial trucks, safe travel is a matter of mutual respect. It appears that in at least one safety measure, Missourians are doing a great job: between 2006 and 2008, the number of commercial motor vehicle crashes that resulted in fatalities fell 19 percent.

I do my best to concentrate on driving so everyone can Arrive Alive, but I know I slip up from time to time. The last thing I want to do is distract another driver from the driving task, so I like the reminders the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety put out this week for Operation Safe Driver Week, Oct. 18-24, 2009. During the week, law enforcement agencies turn a keen eye toward the driving behavior of passenger cars and commercial trucks.

For passenger vehicle drivers, several tips can improve your safety when driving near commercial trucks or buses:
· Focus on driving. Texting, phone calls, eating and other distractions take your attention away from safe operation of your vehicle.
· After passing a truck, wait until you can see both of its headlights in your rearview mirror before pulling into the same lane.
· Keep a safety cushion around trucks. Can you see the truck’s side mirrors? If not, the driver cannot see you. Leave at least a 20-car-length gap when driving behind a truck.
· Never linger alongside a truck and risk “disappearing” from their vision due to blind spots.
· Obey speed limits and traffic signs.

It is also important for truck drivers to remember to:
· Pre-inspect the condition of your vehicle before travel and make sure your load is secure.
· Maximize the vision around your truck with properly adjusted mirrors; be sure mirrors are properly set and clean.
· Focus on driving, not distractions.Obey speed limits and traffic signs. Excessive speed reduces your ability to avoid a crash, extends your vehicle’s stopping distance, and increases the severity of a crash when it occurs.



As impressed as I am with Missourians' driving, I'm tired! I think we'll stick close to home this weekend...but there are some really great fall festivals and Oktoberfests and...

Glasgow Bridge Complete!

Today, Glasgow residents and those in surrounding communities will celebrate having their bridge again!
Only a year ago, the Glasgow Bridge in north central Missouri was one of the worst major river bridges in the state.

An innovative partial replacement solution has since improved the bridge, and a ceremony kicks off this afternoon where the residents celebrate!

The existing deck and steelwork was removed from the supporting piers, then replaced with a plate girder bridge to produce a new driving surface, extending the life of this important bridge for up to 50 years. Check out more photos and details!

For Sale!

One thing I learned this summer - the selling of a home and purchase of another home is a fascinating (and exhausting!) process.

I really still don't know how all of the details came together or the pieces fell in place, but the end result is a home that better fits the needs of my family. A happy ending.



MoDOT is selling off property it no longer needs, and an upcoming blitz of activity is planned to sell 23 highly marketable parcels of land and put the money straight into needed road and bridge projects.

The blitz runs the week of Nov. 16-20. Thinking of getting in the market for development or wanting a buffer around land you already own? Check out our Realty to Roads page to see what might fit your needs.

You just might find your own happy ending in the real estate world. And with the money going to needed projects around Missouri, everyone in the state can do the same.

A Great Return!

Missouri's ports are a great return on investment.

MoDOT's Waterway Section is administering $16 million in grant funding for 20 different projects at public ports throughout Missouri. Everything from a rail spur, truck scale, access roads, dock repairs, mooring dolphins, storage, and utility extension is included.

These investments are generating economic activity in the private sector. The best example is at the New Madrid County Port Authority, where MoDOT provided $3 million in state and federal grants to improve truck access, bring in a rail spur, and increase storage capacity. These investments, along with working with port staff, helped land two new business that are right now investing more than $50 million in private investment in this port.

Even in this challenging economic climate, Missouri ports have increased tonnage handled, jobs created, and private investment. Plus, we all get the environmental benefits offered by waterway transportation, where one barge holds as much as 15 rail cars and 60 trucks.

MoDOT Through the Looking Glass

MoDOT has a bunch of good-lookin’ employees. Who wouldn’t want to catch a peek of ‘em in the truck mirrors?

That’s what I thought after learning that MoDOT’s Northeast District added bright orange stickers to the back of bright yellow dump trucks. The message on the stickers is familiar to those who drive around 18-wheel trucks: If you can’t see my mirrors, I can’t see you.

It turns out that the district’s safety and health committee recommended the message. Concern about incidents when dump truck drivers backed into vehicles behind them – vehicles the dump truck driver could not see – prompted the team’s action. Since commercial trucks have the same blind spot, the team thought, we could try using one of their safety tactics.

It will be a few months – April 2010, to be exact – before the pilot program wraps up, but the district already notes a decrease in the number of backing incidents. It’s possible the stickers will spread statewide.

Big thanks to the big trucks for inspiring an effective, inexpensive safety tool.

And keep those glances in the mirror quick. MoDOT folks will try to temper our beauty so we’re not too distracting!

No Substitute

Before heading to the next big game, make sure you buckle up. No Substitute!

Why Isn't It Clicking with Missourians?

I buckle up every single time I get in a vehicle, and everyone riding with me does as well. But unfortunately according to our latest statewide survey results - nearly one in four Missouri motorists still don’t buckle up. With 77% seat belt use, Missouri is seven percent less than the national average of 84 percent. The bottom line of these statistics means that people who otherwise would probably be arriving home safely are dying on our roads.

In 2008, 489 people out of the 960 killed in Missouri traffic crashes weren’t wearing a seat belt. If you do the math, that’s more than half. It’s common sense to wear one – and yet some people still don’t.

So why aren't we measuring up to other states? We don't have a primary seat belt law is one reason. Research from other states shows that passing a primary seat belt law raises the usage rate and reduces fatalities and injuries. By law, we all have to wear our seat belt anyway, but making it a primary law allows our law enforcement to actually enforce it. It’s a simple change that costs us nothing but could gain us everything.

Some groups in our state are at even more risk from lower seat belt usage – teens only buckle up 62% of the time and motorists in the 10-county area near Joplin and Springfield only buckle up 66% of the time. We’re doing what we can to educate these folks with the Get Your Buckle On campaign that targets teens and tries to get more of them to buckle up, while a new Click It or Ticket campaign in the southwest area has local law enforcement officers cracking down on motorists who aren’t wearing seat belts.

Until we get a primary seat belt law, we’ll have to do our best to educate everybody about the importance of buckling up. Please help us. Visit saveMOlives and send your friends a postcard (www.savemolives.com/play/postcard.htm) reminding them to buckle up. For more information, visit http://www.savemolives.com/. Buckle Up and Arrive Alive!

Gnome says, "Get Your Buckle On."

A gnome costume inspired 19-year-old Cole Hieronymus's winning Get Your Buckle On video. The video contest, sponsored by the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, encouraged people to submit seat belt videos to www.getyourbuckleon.com to encourage teens to buckle up.

"We wanted to jolt our peers' mind to wake up out of zombie routine every day and actually put their seat belt on," said Hieronymus of St. Louis.

The winning video will be promoted during the October teen seat belt campaign running Oct. 5-25. The second round of the teen seat belt video competition will begin Oct. 1. The video contest will be featured in the October advertising campaign sponsored by the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety.

Watch the video below.

MoDOT’s E update service offers job announcements, flood updates, work zone info and more

Have you subscribed to MoDOT’s free “E-update” service yet? If not, you’re missing out on a lot of good information from your department of transportation.

E-update’s lets you get info on work zones, road closures, flooding, public meetings, statewide news, district news, even job announcements.

You can sign up for the e-mail service at www.modot.org/eupdate. The newest E-update feature is our job announcement service. At the bottom of the subscription page is a section called “Career Opportunities” organized by district. It allows you to pick the geographic areas where you’re interested in finding employment. Once you’re signed up, you will receive an e-mail every time a job opens up in the districts you selected.

While you’re in there, sign up to get other information for your area. If you find out E updates aren’t for you, just change your subscription or unsubscribe entirely.

You can also visit our Twitter pages at http://www.modot.org/Twitter and get the latest tweets on job announcements and other MoDOT news.

Go TIGER!

No, we're not using this post to cheer for the Missouri Tigers, although I'll have to admit that their 3-0 start has been impressive. Hope the Nevada game is not an ambush in the desert!

This entry is about MoDOT's submission last week of an application for a TIGER Discretionary Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. In this case, TIGER stands for "Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery" and it is a special program that is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The program was announced in the spring, giving states and local entities the opportunity to compete for $1.5 billion in stimulus funds to enable transportation projects that otherwise were not possible. Projects were to range from $20 million to $300 million in cost and able to be built by February of 2012. No state could receive more than $300 million total.

MoDOT's I-70 team worked hard all summer to develop its application to build up to 30 miles of truck-only lanes on Interstate 70 in Saline and Cooper Counties. The application was for $200 million. MoDOT would add $40 million to that for a $240 million project. If selected, this project would revolutionize interstate corridors that have heavy freight movements, separating cars from long-haul semis. It would demonstrate just how the concept would improve safety, reduce congestion and allow for efficiencies in freight flows.

The MoDOT application and all of its supporting information can be found at www.modot.mo.gov/arra/tiger/

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has indicated that projects will be selected by January 15, 2010. In the meantime, we'll be keeping our fingers crossed that this innovative project is chosen, and hoping that Coach Gary Pinkel's Tigers keep up their winning ways.

Lee's Summit Man Wins GPS System

One Missouri man took the time to learn more about work zone safety in Missouri and was rewarded with a brand new Garmin nuvi 750 GPS system.

Lee's Summit resident, Buck Sommerkamp, entered to win the GPS while visiting the MoDOT Web site and learning how to Arrive Alive while traveling in Missouri work zones. Some of the tips included slow down, drive sober, follow the signs and always buckle up.

“I’ve been buckling up since driver’s ed in high school,” Sommerkamp said. “We couldn’t turn the key until our seat belts were buckled, and that’s something I’ve taught both my boys.”

The contest was part of the annual work zone safety campaign sponsored by MoDOT that ran April through September. The campaign utilized online advertising to drive Missourians to http://www.modot.org/ where they could find a current listing of work zones and work zone safety tips. They could also enter to win baseball tickets and the free GPS.

More than 3,000 entries were received during the campaign. From April to July, two names were randomly selected each week for free Cardinals or Royals tickets. A grand-prize winner was randomly drawn for the GPS system. The baseball tickets were donated by TrueMedia in Columbia; the GPS system was donated by Garmin International.

In 2008, 12 people were killed in work zones, an increase from 2007 when five people were killed. Three MoDOT employees lost their lives on the job during 2008. Speed, inattention and tailgating are cited as the cause of most crashes in areas where roadwork is under way.


The GPS system will help Sommerkamp travel safely through work zones in the future.

Join the Battle of the Belt Challenge

Calling all Missouri high school students to compete in the 2009 Battle of the Belt Challenge for an opportunity to win cash and prizes for your school.

The Battle of the Belt is a competition between Missouri high schools to increase seat belt use among students. The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, Missouri Emergency Nurses Association and American Family Insurance sponsor the program.

During the competition, teens participate in an observational safety belt survey conducted before and after an education blitz to determine the change in seat belt use among teens. Prizes are awarded to schools for having the highest seat belt use statewide and locally. Prizes are also awarded for those schools showing the most improved seat belt use.

It’s not too late to sign up. It’s easy to do and teaches a life-saving message. A Participation Agreement Form must be completed by Oct. 2, 2009. Visit www.savemoyouth.com for more information.

Check out this student-produced video from the competition last year.

Big Bags

With holidays not so far away, the mention of big bags makes me think of the shopping that I'll have to get done pretty soon.

But these bags are far more useful. MoDOT has purchased bags -- really, really BIG bags -- in order to hold off floodwaters in the state. They can help alot more people than just those on my gift list.

Big Bags are just that -- large sand bags that unfold like an accordion to create a 15-foot long by 3-foot high by 3-foot wide storage compartment for sand. One system of Big Bags takes the place of 500 regular sand bags.

“They’ll be used the next time floodwaters threaten to rise over our major roads,” said Jim Carney, state maintenance engineer. “A new product like this can help us save time and protect lives during a crisis.”

The Big Bags work much like Legos toys; a chain of dumpster-sized bags can be stacked, attached, filled with sand and built upon to create massive floodwalls quickly and easily. The bags are made of tightly woven polypropylene with wooden frames that are screwed together. Each system weighs only 50 pounds when empty, but when deployed they are filled with 2,800-3,500 pounds of sand, depending on the moisture content.

It takes just a few minutes to fill the bags with the help of a spreader box on dump trucks. Creating a traditional sand bag wall could take several hours.

Flood waters, watch out.

Show Us Your Seat Belt Dance

More than 250 seat belt videos have been posted online in the first round of the Get Your Buckle On video competition which ended Aug. 31.

Many of the videos were filmed in the Highway Gardens Exhibit Hall at this year’s Missouri’s State Fair. Teens, young children and adults all had a blast dancing to the original song, “Get Your Buckle On.”

The winner of the first-round contest will be announced by Oct. 1 as we kick off Get Your Buckle On – Round 2.

Visit www.getyourbuckleon.com/ to check out the videos.

They Weevil and They Wobble

The weevils have a job to do in Missouri, and they're working hard to earn their keep.

Over the last couple of years, MoDOT has teamed up with the Missouri Department of Conservation and the University of Missouri-Extension, working towards the best solution for an increase in spotted knapweed along roadsides. Don't let the pretty purple flowers fool you -- left unchecked, the knapweed takes over, creating an herbicide that kills plants around it. Overall, it's not the friendliest of neighbors.

Enter the weevil. Used in other parts of the country for decades and known to focus only on knapweed, these little guys have been put to work. Over the summer, they were released in 75 sites around the state, mostly in southern Missouri.

Rand Swanigan, roadside management specialist, finds it a very positive way to go.

"It's not a cure-all, but it allows mother nature to help us control this weed in an environmentally friendly way," said Swanigan.

That, and the weevils get a free lunch.

Who do you love?

If you’re a three-year old girl, you probably love Dora the Explorer; five-year old boys covet any Star Wars character with a helmet and a laser weapon. They would probably also put mom, dad, grandma, grandpa and maybe a sibling on the list -- oh, and let’s not forget ICE CREAM.

If you are a parent like me, your love list would first and foremost include your kids. You’d likely throw yourself in front of a speeding locomotive to keep them safe. But, no one is asking you to do that. In fact, to keep your kids safe in the car, the solution is much less dramatic.

Just buckle them in to the appropriate safety seat (and make sure it’s installed correctly) for their age, size and weight. All the details can be found at www.savemolives.com/. There’s a great video there too.

Sept. 12 is National Seat Check Saturday and launches Child Passenger Safety Week from September 12-19. The week includes education on proper safety seat installation and use as well as increased law enforcement cracking down on Missouri's child safety seat law violators. A list of car seat inspection stations and locations for the car seat checkups can be found at www.savemolives.com.

Car crashes are the number one killer of children. During the last three years in Missouri, 56 children were killed and 437 more suffered disabling injuries. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, three out of four child safety seats are improperly installed. Don’t let your child be a statistic.

Spread the love, BUCKLE UP!!

How Many Vehicles Drive Your Route Every Day? We Can Tell You!

Do you want to find out if traffic on your route has been climbing over the years? Are you thinking about starting a business near a state highway and want to know how many people will be driving by? Well, MoDOT can help you.

One of the little known offerings of MoDOT’s web site is our Traffic Volume Maps page. This page offers a collection of PDF maps that shows the Average Daily Traffic (“ADT” in MoDOT lingo) for hundreds of state maintained routes and interchanges. There is a statewide map that shows Missouri as a whole, and 10 regional maps so you can get a more refined view of the numbers. Of course, only state routes are covered, and we don’t show municipal traffic, but these maps are great tools for seeing how many people share your route on an average day. You can also go back to 2000 to see how traffic numbers have changed over the years.

The maps are updated every year and are valuable resources for safety officials, the business community, motor carriers or someone just trying to win an argument about traffic with their neighbor.

Click on the hot link above or go to www.modot.org/safety/trafficvolumemaps.htm to check out this great resource.

Smooth Ride

What is MoDOT's role in the 2009 Tour of Missouri? This week's MoDOT Minute explains how we help the race run smoothly while minimizing the impact of road closures for drivers.

Check the MoDOT Minute each week for 60 seconds of your latest transportation headlines in Missouri.

A Local Voice

The Recovery Act funding has given MoDOT the opportunity to demonstrate that funding for transportation projects can and does provide a jumpstart to economic development. Watch this video to hear from local Missouri voice Keith Miller why the funding has helped Missouri, and how the benefits extend beyond the projects themselves.

Laboring for a Safe Holiday

Like many other Missourians this weekend, my family and I will be traveling for Labor Day. For me, it’s all about the cake, since I was born on Labor Day. But, whatever the reason or destination involved, one thing we should all remember is to pay attention in work zones.

Many people get annoyed with work zones and don’t follow the signs, which can mean catastrophic results for all involved. Between 2004 and 2008, 79 people were killed in work zones. Since 2000, 15 MoDOT employees have been killed in the line of duty. Hitting and injuring or killing a highway worker in Missouri could result in a fine up to $10,000 and loss of your license for a year.

This year alone, several MoDOT crews were involved in crashes and narrowly escaped injuries while improving Missouri roads. Inattention, impairment, speeding, following too closely and texting while driving are all suspected as the causes of the crashes. (And if you’re under 21, texting while driving is against the law now anyway.)

You can learn more about work zone safety at modot.org or call 888-ASK-MODOT. While visiting our Web site, you can enter to win a Garmin GPS system (it doesn't even have to be your birthday). The drawing will be held Sept. 10th, so there’s only about a week left to enter!

Please be courteous as you travel through work zones this weekend and help make sure everyone will Arrive Alive. Remember to buckle up, watch for signs, slow down and stay alert. Thank you!

Tomorrow's Engineers

Twenty-nine students participated in the 2009 TRAC Summer Conference this summer. TRAC stands for Transportation and Civil Engineering Program, and offers hand-on experience to high school students who may become our future engineers.

One of the activities involved working at a traffic signal to take a traffic count. Students also received an overview of MoDOT and its divisions, and had a presentation regarding the No Zone and how they can stay safe around large trucks. (See the blog post from Aug. 21, "Disappearing Dump Trucks", for an eye-opening video of what the students learned)

Elizabeth Reed, with MoDOT's Equal Employement and Opportunity division, sees TRAC as a valuable opportunity to reach out to students.

"They were given an opportunity to learn engineering concepts and apply them to real-world situations," said Reed. "Hopefully, it will encourage them to become tomorrow's engineers."

Just Like Riding a Bike

I’m not much of a bike rider. As a kid, I lived on my bicycle, but not anything that I’ve kept up with as I’ve gotten older – a bit lazy when it comes to pedaling up hills! So when I was assigned as MoDOT’s project manager for the Tour of Missouri, I was looking forward to learning a lot about a subject that was definitely new to me.

Now, in our third year of the Tour of Missouri, I’m hooked! After watching these professional athletes climb the hills, handle the curves and attack Missouri’s mountains (we really do have some out there!), they have my complete respect and admiration.

When you stand along the race route and watch the cyclists, it’s amazing what is required of them in this sport – strength, endurance, concentration, teamwork. The race happens to be the largest professional sporting event in the state of Missouri, and guess what, it’s free!

Sept. 7 – beginning in St. Louis, through Sept. 13 – ending in Kansas City, cyclists from more than 20 countries will be traversing our state at about 30 miles per hour as they move from east to west. It’s a well-oiled production and a unique opportunity as millions of eyes and ears watch the event throughout the world.

Up for being outdoors in the beautiful September sunshine? Check it out! More information about specific routes and times is available on the MoDOT Web site, along with a link to the Tour of Missouri site. And thanks to MoDOT’s primary responsibility, which is to help plan a safe route for participants and onlookers and then to help motorists travel safety and efficiently during the race, this should be another successful event for Missouri.

And I should clarify – “I’m hooked” as in hooked on watching and enjoying a new sport, not as in riding my bike again, but that could happen – never say never!

Welcome Commissioner Miller

Stephen R. Miller of Kansas City was sworn in this week as Missouri's newest Highways and Transportation Commissioner by Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice William Ray Price, Jr.

He was appointed earlier this month by Governor Jay Nixon.

"Mr. Miller's impressive background and considerable knowledge of transportation issues make him a valuable addition to the commission," said Missouri Department of Transportation Director Pete Rahn. "I look forward to working closely with him to ensure that Missouri's transportation system continues to improve and to tackle the significant challenges we will face in the very near future."

Miller is an attorney with the law firm of Miller Schirger and has more than 25 years experience in construction law. He fills the vacancy left by the resignation of Mike Kehoe of Jefferson City and will complete his term, which runs through March 1, 2011.

Welcome Commissioner Miller!

DNT TXT & DRV – I WNT 2 ARV ALV

I’m not innocent when it comes to texting and driving. I’ve found myself driving 70 miles per hour on Route 63 when my text alert buzzes. Not one to ignore my phone, I reach over, read it, sometimes even respond.

I’ve read the horror stories and watched this sad (and a little too graphic) PSA and recognize the dangers of texting while driving, but it’s still an incredibly hard habit to break.

And my phone plan limits me to 250 text messages a month.

Last week I went with my 18-year-old sister-in-law to renew her cell phone plan. They looked up her text message usage and she puts mine to shame. She sends an average of 3,000 text messages per month – 100 text messages per day. I’m sure a fair share of that is done while driving, putting herself and others at risk.

A new law goes into effect this week that bans Missouri drivers 21 years of age or younger from sending, reading, or writing an electronic message while driving.
Initially when the law was passed, I questioned: why just youth? Why not everybody? Am I, at age 25, any less of a risk than someone under 22? Maybe not. But if you look at my texting usage compared to that of my sister-in-law’s you see the importance of banning her and other youth from texting while they are still novice drivers.

Eventually I hope the ban follows suit for the rest of us. With a fine of $200 if caught, I think I would find a way to ignore that pesky little text message – at least until I’m safely off the road.

Sweet Directions

While walking around town today, a car pulled up to the curb with three women inside looking for Central Dairy, a rather famous mid-Missouri ice cream stop. I could never stand between anyone and their Extreme Chocolate Moose Tracks, so I tried to make sure my directions were clear.

The importance of good direction cannot be understated. Without it, a good deal of time can be wasted looking for the right way to go. Without it, these women may have been forced to settle for a non-dairy soft-serve cone from a fast-food chain.

The new Missouri state map is hot off the presses. Order your free copy today so you'll always have the clearest directions with you for your Missouri travel.

In the meantime, my own direction now is to make an ice-cream run after work.

Disappearing Dump Trucks!

My mom always said that my first sentence was, “Me do!” And it seems that anytime I can do and see things for myself, the lesson sticks with me – especially if what I do is out of the ordinary. So I have no doubt that the young adults who participated in a recent “No Zone” event are living the lessons they learned about large trucks’ blind spots.

Wal-Mart, the Missouri Motor Carriers Association and MoDOT brought an 18-wheeler to a Jefferson City parking lot, parked full-sized dump trucks to the back and sides of the trailer and placed a car in front of the truck tractor.

The youths – all enrolled in transportation career exploration programs – climbed into the cab, settled into the driver’s position and discovered something amazing…the dump trucks had DISAPPEARED!

Check out the video. Watch the reactions when the youths realize they can’t see the bright yellow behemoths parked just a few feet away. Without leaning way out of a safe driving position, there was no way to see any of the other vehicles. The vehicle in front of the truck might as well have been a speck on the pavement.

I have no doubt that these young drivers learned a new respect for commercial drivers. When they travel near trucks, they keep look for the drivers’ mirrors, knowing that unless they see the driver, the driver doesn’t see them. They don’t linger while passing and make sure they see the top of the truck in their own mirrors before completing a pass.

Sometimes, "do by self" is the best way to learn how to Arrive Alive.

Think Before You Drink

I dropped my kids off today for their first day of school – my little girl started kindergarten. And while it was a bittersweet day for me, I realize how lucky I am to have these moments with my kids. There are families everywhere who don’t have these opportunities because of someone else’s choice to drink and drive.

Today, as Missouri kicks off its annual You Drink & Drive. You Lose. campaign, I urge all drivers to think before you drink.

Besides kicking off our impaired driving campaign, we’re also highlighting a new law to help memorialize drunk driving victims. A new roadside memorial sign for impaired driving victims was unveiled today that will urge drivers to think about their choices this August and in the months ahead.

The signs are part of legislation that goes into effect Aug. 28 called David’s Law. The law is named after David Poenicke, a victim of impaired driving. The blue memorial signs read "Drunk Driving Victim!" and include the person's initials and the month and year they were killed. At the bottom it reads "Think About It!"

If each and every one of us would just take a moment and think about the consequences before driving impaired, we could save so many families from so much anguish. Please think before you drink, and help ensure that each of us is there to spend the big and small moments with our families.

Can We Talk?

As MoDOT's Web manager, I love talking about the many features of the department's Web site. It offers all kinds of community services that can benefit Missourians. It's just a matter of folks using them!

One of these features is our Request A Speaker page at http://www.modot.org/requestaspeaker.

If your group or organization needs a transportation expert to talk about MoDOT projects, services, plans, policies -- or anything along those lines -- just go to the Web address mentioned above and fill out the online form. We'll work with you to find a department speaker who meets your needs.

Whether it's for a civic organization, a local business group or just a group of engaged citizens, we will send someone in person to answer all your questions and make you a part of the process.

The Request A Speaker service is one of the best ways to get first-hand information on your department of transportation.

Why Did You Do It?

Why did you do it?

Can anyone say they have never littered? We are all probably guilty of this at some point, but this video takes away all of your excuses. Keep Missouri litter-free, and feel free to pick up that soda can someone else may have left behind.

And a special shout-out to those who participated in this spring's No MOre Trash Bash. Congratulations on picking up 111,000 bags of trash!

What Lies Beneath

Why do highways need to be rebuilt? This video shows you what lies beneath, and why highways eventually need more than a facelift.

1,000 Fans!

I'd like to send out a big thank-you to each of our facebook fans for helping us reach 1,000 fans today! Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and this blog have allowed us to reach out to customers in new ways, and we appreciate each fan, follower and comment.

Keep 'em coming! We want to hear your thoughts on how to best make your travel in Missouri smooth and safe.

Missouri Is More Bike Friendly

MoDOT works hard to factor bicycle and pedestrian travel into its highway projects, and has made a lot of headway making state roads and bridges more user-friendly for bicyclists and pedestrians. In fact, the League of American Bicyclists recently ranked Missouri as the 17th most bike friendly state in the nation, an 11-spot jump from last year.

Here are just a few examples of bike-friendly projects:
· Under the planned rehabilitation of the Heart of America Bridge, which connects downtown Kansas City with north Kansas City via Route 9, the bridge will be reconfigured to provide a barrier-protected path for bicycles and pedestrians. Signs reminding bicyclists and motorists to share the road will also be installed.

· The project to rebuild Interstate 64 now under way in St. Louis called for two new bicycle/pedestrian underpasses, which are now complete. A multi-use path at Hampton and I-64 that used to cross over a heavily traveled road now passes underneath to protect bicyclists and pedestrians from traffic. In addition, a new, more open bypass just west of Kingshighway lets bikers and pedestrians cross safely under the interstate.

· A protected pedestrian/bicycle walkway was built down the center of Kansas Expressway over Interstate 44 in Springfield as part of a diverging diamond interchange project that was completed in June.

· MoDOT is collaborating with the city of Rolla on a multi-phase project that has provided 9.07 miles of biking and walking paths to date, with an additional 1.72 miles planned. Once complete, the paths will connect to provide a comprehensive bike and pedestrian sidewalk network.

· An asphalt bicycle/pedestrian trail is being built in Riverview Park in Hannibal with federal enhancement funds. When finished later this summer, it will connect Riverview Park visitors to downtown Hannibal.

You can learn more about the league’s bike-friendly report at http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/bicyclefriendlystate/.

Not So Funny

I went to a comedy club the other night and the first thing the out-of-state comedian said was that he hated Missouri cops. Apparently he had been pulled over for speeding just after he crossed the state line into Missouri. On the outside I smiled, but inside I was doing a happy dance and thinking, “Hey the Heat Is On buddy”, and it’s working!

The funny guy went on to try to find a cop in the audience that would admit to his profession so that he could humiliate him in front of a crowd. There was a highway patrolman in the front row, but he wasn’t ashamed to admit it.

I have been pulled over for speeding myself. At the first glimpse of flashing lights in my rear view, my heart rate jumps and the armor comes up. I quickly go on the defensive, “Oh, come on, I wasn’t going that fast. What, are you having a bad day?” When in fact I was 10 mph over the limit.

Law enforcement officers are there, ultimately to keep us from killing ourselves and each other. Without them, who knows how fast we’d drive or how many stupid things we’d try just because no one was watching.

I’m happy to know that the cops are out there – nabbing those funny guys and keeping us safe.

County Maps Available on MoDOT Web site

Here’s a “Didja Know?” that many Missourians might find helpful: Maps of all 114 Missouri counties are available for download in PDF format at http://www.modot.org/newsandinfo/CountyMaps.htm

The maps shows county roads, waterways, airports, hospitals, cemeteries and many other county features that a city map or state map can’t highlight in detail.

If you’re interested in viewing or downloading these maps you need to make sure you have a version of Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer. If you don’t, the program is free and easy to find with any search engine or by going to http://get.adobe.com/reader/

Mock Crash Opens Eyes

For emergency service personnel, the scene was all too real.

Smashed cars. Cracked windshields. Life-threatening injuries. A fatality. A drunk driver. Angry, grieving passengers.

Luckily, this time it wasn’t real. It was part of a mock DWI crash held last week in Columbia. The exercise was part of a three-day conference to help prevent drug- and alcohol-related accidents sponsored by Team Spirit.

Students from 11 Missouri high schools saw first hand why it’s a bad idea to drink and drive. Students witnessed a simulated head-on collision where the driver was impaired and one person dies. Last year, 951 underage drivers were involved in alcohol-related traffic crashes in Missouri.

At the end of the mock crash, the students were silent as the scene was recapped.

“It only takes that one lapse to create results like that,” said the narrator.

When asked how many people think a crash like this would affect their school, all hands were raised.

Watch the video below.

Where are the Bullet Trains?

Progress continues toward high-speed rail development in Missouri. While the bullet trains are not coming anytime soon, significant improvements could occur if the Federal Railroad Administration approves MoDOT's application for $200 million in economic recovery funding. Competition for the limited $8 billion in available funding will be strong, considering the $103 billion in applications submitted by 40 states.

However, MoDOT, in partnership with Union Pacific Railroad and Amtrak, has developed a very good list of proposed improvements. These projects will not only put people to work quickly, they will remove significant system bottlenecks and allow for increased train speeds. MoDOT has also been working with other Midwest states to acquire modern and efficient train equipment to replace the current 1960's-era trains.

Construction work on Missouri's first-ever publicly funded rail capacity project is on schedule for completion in 2009. This new 9,000-foot passing rail siding near California will eliminate a 25-mile section with no siding long enough to hold a freight train. This area has been a major bottleneck in the past.

Passenger ridership in Missouri remains strong, closing the state fiscal year 10 percent above last year. This is largely due to improved on-time performance, which has been above 95 percent since January 1st. People are running out of excuses for not using this service. What are you waiting for!? Go to www.morail.org and get aboard!

Football Fans, Buckle Up!

With school right around the corner, football teams are gearing up for their next season and fans are ready. No matter what jersey you choose, make sure a seat belt is wrapped securely around it when you're headed to the game.
And if your team is up against a 64-foot player, good luck!

MoDOT Opens Nation’s First Diverging Diamond Interchange

Ever drive on the left side of the road? A highway design common in Europe is now giving Springfield, Mo. motorists this unique experience.

MoDOT opened the first-in-the-USA Diverging Diamond Interchange in June at the intersection of Kansas Expressway (Route 13) and Interstate 44 in Springfield.

Signs, pavement markings and concrete islands at the new interchange guide drivers on Route 13 as they criss-cross at traffic signals on both sides of the bridge at Interstate 44. That puts oncoming traffic on the right, but separated by concrete barriers that also form a pedestrian walkway down the center.

Left-turning vehicles on Kansas Expressway get a "free left" onto the I-44 on-ramps. At the same time, two lanes of traffic continuing north or south on Kansas Expressway are able to travel more steadily through the interchange.

A DDI is a great solution in high traffic areas. Motorists no longer have to cross opposing traffic. Left turn crashes are eliminated and the chance of being in a rear end crash is reduced. Motorists spend less time being stuck in traffic, which is also good for the environment as idle time is reduced at the interchange. Plus, Springfield’s DDI design came out to be cheaper and shaved about a year-and-a-half off the construction time.

Look for similar Diverging Diamond projects in Missouri, including one on National Avenue at the James River Freeway (Route 60) in Springfield and in Kansas City and St. Louis.

Keep Your Butts in the Car

The other day I was driving home from work, when I saw the guy in front of me flick a cigarette butt out his truck window. So since The Litterer couldn’t actually hear me from my car, I honked at him. I guess I just wanted him to know someone was watching.

Littering is one of my biggest pet peeves. And many people don’t consider throwing out their cigarette butts as littering. Do people think that once the cigarette butt hits the road, it magically disappears? It’s really just like throwing a bag of garbage out the window. Cigarette filters can take years to degrade. And according to my online research, cigarettes are the most littered item with several trillion butts being littered worldwide every year.

I have picked up litter many times, as part of my Adopt-A-Highway group, and I’ll tell you, it’s not fun. But because people still litter, someone has get out there and clean it up. MoDOT already spends about $5 million a year to clean up litter off the roads, and our AAH groups contribute another $1 million in efforts. Although there are many different items that people throw out of their vehicles, cigarette butts are the things I see the most. Not only are they ugly and smelly, but the toxic residue in cigarette filters is damaging to the environment, and littered butts cause numerous fires every year, some of them fatal.

So what can we do? MoDOT is always accepting new volunteers in our Adopt-A-Highway or Sponsor-A-Highway programs. Just go to www.modot.org/ or call 888-ASK MODOT to join. Butt, if you happen to see someone flicking their butt out their car window, honk and let folks know you’re watching too.

A Bright Idea

You pay attention to those bright yellow signs on the road, right? At least the ones telling you about the possibility of a giant rock falling on your car?

Now those signs warning you about a sharp curve, narrow bridge or dead end up ahead will be even brighter.

MoDOT has changed the type of sheeting it uses on the diamond-shaped warning signs to a fluorescent yellow - bolder and brighter than before. So even if you're driving along singing with your favorite radio station, these signs should grab your attention.

They won't all go up at once. As a current sign is in need of replacement, the brighter one will be used. But as someone who has been known to host my own off-key live concert in my car, I appreciate all the help I can get.

MoDOT Web site lets citizens report potholes and more

See a pothole on a state road? Tell us about it!

With MoDOT’s Report a Road Concern online form, you can help your department of transportation keep Missouri roads safe and smooth.

Linked from the MoDOT homepage at www.modot.org, Report a Road Concern lets citizens contact the department about a variety of road-related issues. Look for the link on the right-hand side of the homepage.

Existing report categories include: mowing, striping, signs, potholes, signal problems, highway lighting, guardrail/guard cable issues, illegal dumping on the highway and non-stormwater discharge into a drainage ditch. There is also a blank comment field in case the problem being reported is not on the existing list.

Travelers are our most valuable resource for information. They’re the ones using our highways and bridges every day. They know if something is not right immediately. This online form is another way they can communicate with MoDOT.

You can go directly to the Report a Road Concern here: http://www.modot.org/asp/repair.htm .

All-Star FanFest 2009

Baseball greats will soon infiltrate Missouri for the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star game. St. Louis will host the event for the first time since 1966, the inaugural season of the previous Busch Stadium.

MoDOT teamed up with the Illinois Department of Transportation and TEAM (Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management) Coalition to promote the importance of designating a sober driver and always buckling up at All-Star FanFest July 10-14.

FanFest features interactive exhibits and attractions for baseball enthusiasts of all ages. Fans can hit against some of the MLB’s best pitchers in the video batting cages, record their own play-by-play and attend free autograph sessions with baseball’s biggest stars.

The MoDOT booth encouraged fans to film a video or take the pledge to follow MLB’s Fan Code of Conduct, never drive impaired, always have a designated driver, and to buckle up and arrive alive. Fans also took souvenir photos in the replica Busch Stadium Cardinals dugout.

Check out the video from our FanFest booth below. You can also check out a number of the Fan Videos that were submitted during FanFest here.

If you are attending the All-Star Game events or watching at a sports bar or restaurant:

• Be a designated sober driver or designate your sober driver before the game begins


• Give your designated sober driver your car keys and your appreciation for making sure you get home safely


• Before you go out, program the numbers for local cab companies in your cell phone, so if you find yourself in need of a ride, it is just one touch away


• Remember, always buckle up and arrive alive.
  
  

Are We There Yet?

Are we there yet? We could be. Learn more about why we need to invest more in transportation.

Speedy Bridge Projects

Wow. MoDOT contractors have been completing and reopening bridges around the state every day-and-a-half since late April.

On Friday, Chester Bross Construction Co. completed the 50th bridge project in MoDOT's Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program -- the Route BB bridge over Island Creek in Gentry County, near King City.

Speed of construction is a key feature of the Safe & Sound program, and so far so good. The average bridge closure to date has been 40 days and the projects have been completed an average of three days ahead of schedule.

By the end of this year, more than 100 new bridges will have been completed on the way to the program's total of 802 by Oct. 31, 2014.

Soon, KTU Constructors will determine its schedule for the most ambitious part of Safe & Sound -- the complete replacement of 554 bridges.

Stay tuned.

Getting Ready to Race

When the gun is fired Sept. 7 in St. Louis, the third annual Tour of Missouri will begin -- moving along more than 600 miles of Missouri's roads before ending in Kansas City Sept. 13. As the MoDOT Tour of Missouri project coordinator, I'm teaming up with a variety of highway and traffic experts and public information co-workers around the state to take care of our two primary responsibilities.

First, we've worked with other partners to identify a race route that's safe and attractive for both the professional cyclists and those who will watch along the roads. We consider things like work zones, traffic hazards and construction projects. Most of the course is planned on low-volume, rural routes where hills and curves offer the American and foreign atheltes the challenges they like.

Second, we make sure the traveling public will be informed of the traffic interuptions throughout the seven-day event by coordinating traffic management plans with local communities and law enforcement agencies. We make plans to get the word out so those that want to avoid traffic delays can do so.

We also helped the Missouri Tourism Division by creating host city signs. These signs are being put up on the current city limit sign posts along key routes leading in and out of the communities that will be hosting a race start or finish.

We’ve worked hard to help make this a successful event for our state, and as the race goes along, safety for the traveling public and the cyclists is our main concern.

We're proud the national and international race coverage will highlight our state and that Missouri’s highways will be on display throughout the world!

You'll find race information, race route details and photographs at http://www.tourofmissouri.com/ and http://www.modot.org/.