Never Forget to Buckle Up

The morning of Sunday, April 3, 2011 rose sunny, warm and windy, unusual for Central Missouri in early April. The predicted high was 83 degrees. My friend’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Michaelah, dressed for the weather in shorts and some layered tank tops. She was headed just down the road to the church’s Walk for Life. But no one could predict that her seven-mile trip would have its own life-or-death scenario.
Before she left, she sent one last text message to a friend, said good-bye to her mom and hopped into her sister’s car, alone. Just over a mile into her drive that spring morning, a rabbit darted onto the road. She jerked the wheel to the left to avoid hitting it. In a split second the car was running off the left side of the road, she steered back to the right and overcorrected, then quickly pulled the wheel back to the left, and completely lost control. The car went airborne, hit a sign, then an embankment and then flipped over, coming to rest on its top.
Michaelah was left hanging upside down, held in by her seat belt and, she admits, freaking out. She scrambled to find her cell phone as glass from the shattered windshield rained down onto her face and into her mouth. The phone was on the ceiling of the car along with everything else in the car that wasn’t strapped in. She grabbed it and felt for the redial button. Her friend, thankfully picked up and help was on its way.
She is still recovering from bruises and sprains, but this sixteen year old was most certainly saved by her seat belt. This summer Michaelah will have a job babysitting, go to Florida on a trip earned through her church, enjoy Branson with her family, and feel a little uncomfortable behind the wheel. But, she will never forget to buckle up. Without her seat belt she may not have had a summer at all. In 2010, 438 people who were not wearing seat belts were killed in Missouri traffic crashes.
Buckle Up and ARRIVE ALIVE.

Know Before the Cones

It's the time of year when you're likely to see orange.Though MoDOT's construction budget is down, there are plenty of opportunities for those orange cones to appear in your windshield. Here are a few websites that can help you learn which highways have lane and bridge closures:


www.modot.org/tim - The map you use to check winter road conditions also provides the location for work zones. Use the interactive map link in the upper left corner to zoom in for a closer view.

www.modot.mo.gov/safeandsound - We're in the middle of a five-year program to fix 800 bridges. This summer, hundreds of bridges get a makeover. To complete the projects as quickly as possible, most bridges are completely closed. Go to the Safe & Sound site to learn which bridges are under construction, which are planned to start in the next several months and which will wait. The interactive map makes finding those on your routes easy.

www.modot.org/workzones - Visit this page to tell us how we're doing. Rate our work zones and let us know how we can improve. Do you have a suggestion or did we cause a problem? Let us know.

As always, you can call 1-888-Ask-MoDOT for questions, or visit www.modot.org.

Being Barrel Bob is Busy Business

Educating travelers around Missouri about work zone safety is hard work, and let me tell you, I have earned my stripes. Since Work Zone Awareness Week kicked off on April 4, I have been busy touring the state and telling everyone about keeping safe in work zones. You have to keep your eyes open though, because you never know where you’ll find me. The following are just a few of the places I’ve been spotted over the past few weeks:

In the Kansas City area, I’ve been seen on Interstate 70 and Interstate 435 as you enter the work zone close to the Blue Ridge cutoff. If you look closely, you may notice my partner Barrel Betty by my side.

In Mid-Missouri, I’ve been in work zones on Route 50 in Cole County, the downtown MoDOT General Headquarters building during the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission meeting, the westbound Interstate 70 rest area in Boonville for awhile, then in Benton County along Route 65 in Warsaw just south of Route 7. Currently, motorists can find me along westbound Route 54 at the Route Y interchange in Camden County.

In the St. Louis area, I began the week at the Page Avenue construction project on Interstate 270, visited the Chain of Rocks rest area, worked at the Traffic Management Center in West St. Louis County, at Interstate 44 and Bowles Avenue near Fenton for a resurfacing project and I even attended the Meet the Machines event on Lake Bluff Drive.

In my off time, I provide regular updates of my travels, as well as photos, radio spots, and sometimes even funny comments on my personal Facebook page. In fact, you might even say I’ve become somewhat of an international phenomenon since I currently have fans from eight different countries, several states and many cities. My fans even speak more than five different languages! But, no matter how you say it – my message is still the same … Don’t Barrel Through Work Zones! Keep on the lookout for me in a work zone near you.

A Steamy Topic

Earlier this year, we asked you to help route the steam to Missouri and vote to bring a Union Pacific steam engine through our state on tour.

And you did it! The Little Rock Express route received the most votes and now a schedule has been set. Check the schedule to see where you can meet up with a piece of living history!

After you plan your visit, don't forget to check out some facts about this engine and it's place in history. For example, did you know this engine has been blowing steam since 1944?

Hope to see you at one of the stops of the Little Rock Express!

Public Discussion

Community briefings are happening throughout Missouri to explain the recently announced Bolder Five-Year Direction for MoDOT. Briefings will be held throughout the month, leading up to June 8 when the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission meets to take final action on the proposed plan.

A complete list of briefings can be found at www.modot.org. If you're unable to attend, you can participate through an online briefing at www.modot.org. The online meeting will run through June 3.

Other ways to comment on the proposed direction:

• Comment online via www.modot.org
• Send an e-mail to MHTC@modot.mo.gov
• Call 1-888-Ask-MoDOT
• Write to MoDOT, Central Office, 105 W. Capitol Ave., P.O. Box 270, Jefferson City, Mo., 65102
• Contact us via social media at www.modot.org/emodot

All comments from the public received during this month-long process will be shared with MoDOT leadership and commission members prior to June 8.

Director Keith Presents a Smaller, More Efficient MoDOT

Last week, Director Kevin Keith presented a plan to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to create a smaller, more efficient MoDOT. The Bolder Five-Year Direction involves reducing the size of the department's staff by 1,200, closing 135 facilities and selling more than 740 pieces of equipment. By 2015, the proposed direction will save $512 million that will be used for vital road and bridge projects across the state.

A dramatic decrease in available funding means we have to make the best possible use of every dollar. Watch below as Director Keith talks about why these changes are necessary and how MoDOT will focus on maintaining the safest, most reliable transportation system possible for Missourians.

A Bolder Five-Year Direction

Faced with a severe decline in funding and the inability to match federal funds in the near future, MoDOT Director Kevin Keith presented a plan today to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission that includes reducing the size of the department's staff by 1,200, closing 135 facilities and selling more than 740 pieces of equipment. By 2015, the proposed direction will save $512 million that will be used for vital road and bridge projects.

"We asked the director to put forth a bold plan of action to address our transportation funding crisis, and he delivered," said Commission Chair Grace Nichols. "We don't like having to head in this direction, but the reality of our funding situation makes it necessary."

Find full details at www.modot.org.

Celebrate Safe and Sober

The day I got my license was an exciting day for me. It opened up a whole new world: nights out, trips with friends, part-time jobs, independence.

But it wasn't all friends, fun and freedom. With my license also came responsibility. Sure it took me two speeding tickets to figure that out but I did - eventually.

Getting your license isn't a right - it's a privilege. One that comes with strings attached. One of those strings is don't drink and drive.

Between 2008 and 2010, 98 people were killed and 426 seriously injured on Missouri roadways in crashes involving a drunk drivers under the age of 21. What's tragic about these crashes is they are clearly preventable.

It is illegal for a person under 21 to possess or consume alcohol in Missouri. Missouri has a zero tolerance law. If you're under 21, your license will be suspended if you're caught with even a trace of alcohol in your system.

With prom and graduation season here, Missouri youth have much to celebrate. From May 4-13, high-visibility enforcement and education will remind teens and their parents that underage drinking is not only wrong - it's against the law.

Celebrate safe and sober. Zero tolerance means zero chances.

Motorcycle vs. Car

In a crash involving a car and a motorcycle, who do you think will win? Simple physics tells us the motorcycle will always lose. The freedom and wind-in-your-face feeling that most motorcyclists enjoy also comes with the responsibility of using extra caution so that riders do not end up as part of a tragic statistic.

Responsibility falls on motorists driving cars and trucks as well, who need to take care and watch out for the motorcyclists sharing the road. This is particularly important during this time of year, when the weather is warming up and more motorcyclists are taking to the roads.

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month, and a good opportunity for us all to think about safe driving, whether on two wheels or four.

Motorcycle experts recommend motorcyclists complete training before getting out on the road. In Missouri, there are 26 locations for training, and you can find the one nearest you at www.mmsp.org.

And with motorcycle use growing throughout the state, it's even more important for cars to watch out and look twice for motorcyclists. Always make a visual check in mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane of traffic and at intersections.

Earth Day: Little Changes Can Mean Big Results

Today MoDOT volunteers educated thousands of kids, students, teachers and parents who are at the Capitol in Jefferson City to learn about protecting the environment. The Department of Natural Resources hosted the 17th annual Earth Day celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Missouri State Capitol south lawn.

"Little Changes, Big Results” was the winning slogan in DNR’s 2011 Earth Day slogan contest. Adeline Forester, a fifth-grade student in Michelle Kemker’s class at the Cole R5 Eugene Elementary School, submitted the winning slogan.

Sometimes it is the little things we each can do that can help make a difference in the overall big scheme of things. I know my family now recycles every little bit of plastic, paper, tin and aluminum. Here at MoDOT, we have won awards for doing that and much, much more. But, that’s the point – we can each do our part both at home and at work.

This event is just one small thing we do at MoDOT to help get the message out. Besides reminding everyone about the importance of picking up trash, volunteers are asking visitors for a promise to not throw trash out in the first place by signing the Litter Pledge.

In addition, visitors to the MoDOT tent have the opportunity to learn more about the Adopt-A-Highway and No MOre Trash! programs. MoDOT staff also handed out more than 3,000 of these trees to Earth Day participants.

The nation's very first Earth Day was held in 1970 and led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The official date of the national Earth Day celebration is Friday, April 22.

Trash Bucket

There are still a couple of days left in Missouri's No MOre Trash! Bash, and still plenty of nice weather for you to organize a group to help clean up Missouri.

A new innovation was recently created by a MoDOT employee that makes picking up trash easier and safer. The Trash Bucket was one of five state winners in MoDOT's statewide annual Innovations Challenge, and it will help our state on its way to becoming litter-free.

MoDOT Maintenance Crew Leader Tommie Chitwood used scrap material on hand by cutting the top off a bucket and using the tension ring from the lid to create a bag holder - the holder keeps the bag open and ready for trash. The handle also provides a good grip to hold the bag steady. Volunteers and workers can keep their eyes on the road rather than turning attention away to open a trash bag.

No matter what you use to pick up trash, learn more about keeping Missouri litter-free and consider getting involved today!

Adopt-A-Highway
Sponsor-A-Highway
No MOre Trash!

Getting There -- Is It Worth Your Life?

Usually twice a week, my family and I cross the Union Pacific Railroad track on Highway 179 in Jefferson City on our way to and from church. Each time we hope we don’t get stopped by a train, but occasionally the lights flash, the bells sound and the gates go down to warn us that either the Missouri River Runner or a freight train is coming through. Sure it may be a little inconvenient and it may make us a few minutes late, but getting there – is it worth your life? No!

I have placed a solemn reminder to be cautious at highway-rail crossings on the bulletin board at our church. It’s a news clipping of a car smashed by a train at a nearby crossing. The driver did not survive. On Tuesday, I was delivering the same type of message, just much more directly. Volunteers from MoDOT, the Highway Patrol, Missouri Operation Lifesaver and I met at the Route 179 highway-rail crossing to conduct a Positive Enforcement Program - a key component of this year's Rail Safety Week on April 25-29. We stopped several motorists on both sides of the track to share some important rail safety tips. I hope you will also think about them every time you encounter a train or railroad tracks:

• Always expect a train.
• Never drive around gates when they are lowered.
• Never walk or play on railroad tracks, it’s dangerous and illegal.
• A train always has the right of way.
• Trains can’t stop quickly, so never try to beat one.
• Look, listen and Live!

MoDOT Traveler Information Map Offers Flood Information

Most people know about MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map. They turn to it for snow information and work zone locations. But it also offers flooding information, too. Information that could save your life.

Go directly to the map at this address http://maps.modot.mo.gov/timi/

At the time of this blog post, there’s more than 430 flood closures in southern Missouri. The bottom of the map is red with flood icons. If you live and work in any of these areas, please check the map before you travel.

The map is updated continually and is easy to use. You can pan in and out for a broad perspective of statewide road conditions or double click an icon or area to zoom in for a closer view. Hold the mouse over an icon for more details on the route, date, time and condition.

To unstack icons double-click on a region of the map and you’ll zoom in. For a text-only version that gives information by county and route, click on the flooding icon in the legend on the left side of the page.

Train Your Brain

Using safety precautions on and around trains and railroad tracks should be a no-brainer. Yet, collisions at highway-rail crossings in Missouri increased and 17 people were killed at crossings or on tracks in 2010. To elevate the public’s awareness about rail safety, MoDOT is sponsoring a Train Your Brain contest during Rail Safety Week in Missouri on April 25-29.

Take the Train Your Brain quiz, and be automatically entered to win one of several great prizes donated by Missouri Operation Lifesaver, Union Pacific and Amtrak.

Winners will be announced daily on Missouri River Runner’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/missouririverrunnerand MoDOT’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MoDOTStatewide.

Chorus Calling

Happy Earth Day! In honor of all things green, we're sharing a story from our Northeast District and how they created a habitat to help out the chorus frogs.

Last year, some chorus frogs were attempting to live and reproduce in some shallow swales on the north side of the Northeast District office. The frogs were having a tough time -- since the swales didn't hold water for long, any eggs that were laid were quickly dying as the swales dried.

Last fall, roadside operations staff constructed two small, shallow wetlands in place of the swales. They're designed to hold water into mid- or late summer before drying out. This will allow the frogs to successfully reproduce while preventing predatory aquatic insects from reaching high levels. The frogs have found the wetlands and have been calling loudly during the recent warm weather.

An added benefit? Tracks of deer, opossum, raccoon, turkey and other birds have been noticed around the wetlands, indicating other wildlife are finding them useful.

The chorus frogs will stay in the wetlands for a month or so and then spend the rest of the year in the grass, wildflowers and woods surrounding the wetlands.  

Information contributed by Chris Shulse, Roadside Manager for MoDOT's Northeast District.

Why It's Personal

We've been talking lately about why transportation is personal. It's certainly something we use each day - but how much thought have you given to how it would, in fact, personally affect YOUR life? What would be different, and how would your routine change if your connections to work, home and activities just weren't what you needed?

MoDOT employee, Tina Thurman, shares today how transportation is indeed personal to her and affects her family:

“My son Garrett will start kindergarten this fall. As a preschooler, he was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes (Type I). Because his body does not produce any insulin, we have to monitor his blood sugar and inject the hormone several times a day.

There is no such thing as homemade insulin. I can't make testing supplies or needles. I rely on shipments from far away factories that travel by train and highway to reach my mailbox. And it's not just that the packages arrive, they have to arrive when I need them.

If shipping channels are interrupted, it causes a delay in delivery. I can deal with shortages of gas, bread and milk. Insulin is another story. My brown-eyed live-wire can't live without a safe, reliable transportation system.

For our family, transportation is more than personal. It's a matter of life and death.”

How is transportation personal to you? Please share your story here on the blog, or on our facebook page, and tell us what would change for you if your connections were in jeopardy. For more information on how transportation is personal in Missouri, visit www.modot.org/itspersonal.

My Last Text

Take a look at your last three texts. Were any of them worth dying for?

Mine were:

• Yes sounds good.
• Just left to go to Home Depot and Lowe's.
• My Contacts Backup last saved your contacts 75 days ago.

Nothing too earth shattering there. I certainly wouldn't want any of those messages to be the last thing I read on this earth.

But if you're texting being the wheel, that message could be the last thing you read.

Texting makes a driver 23 times more likely to crash because it takes your eyes off the road for an average of five seconds.

In 2010, there were 21 fatal, 69 disabling injury, 477 minor injury and 1158 PDO crashes involving an inattentive driver using a cell phone. Twenty-two people were killed, 85 seriously injured and 679 received minor injuries in these crashes.

Next time you hear the buzz of a text message while behind the wheel, ask yourself if it's worth your life.

A mother and Highway Patrolman tell the story of how a text message cut one young woman's life short.

Pain at the Pump

Yow!! Gas prices keep rising and rising - and MoDOT doesn't like it any more than you! Unlike many state DOT's in America, MoDOT doesn't benefit when gas prices rise at the pump because we get a fixed rate per gallon. Missouri's state fuel tax is 17 cents per gallon (for gas and diesel) no matter if gas is 1 dollar or 50 dollars a gallon. In fact, Missouri fuel taxes haven't increased since 1996. The fact that Missouri ranks low for fuel taxes is why gas prices in the show-me state are also some of the lowest in the country.

Let's break it down: MoDOT receives 12.45 cents of the 17 cents per gallon of gas purchased (local governments receive the remaining 4.55 cents per gallon) and MoDOT receives approximately $500 million a year from the state fuel tax. The federal fuel tax rates are 18.4 cents on gasoline and 24.4 cents for diesel. The price Missourians pay at the pump comes from four different costs: 65 percent crude oil, 15 percent refining, 10 percent distribution and marketing, and 10 percent federal and state taxes.

Higher gas prices hurt MoDOT because as prices rise, people buy less, which can decrease our funds. Missouri ranks 42nd for fuel taxes, yet we maintain the 7th largest highway system in America.

MoDOT's Chief Engineer Dave Nichols explains more about pain at the pump and how it affects Missouri in last week's To The Point podcast.

New Bicycle and Pedestrian Attachment

On a bridge that carries nearly 50,000 vehicles each day, a few more pedals and feet will now be added to the mix.

On April 8, a bicycle and pedestrian attachment to the Missouri River Bridge opened in Jefferson City, spanning the Missouri River and connecting bicyclists and pedestrians with the popular Katy Trail.

Work on the project began in mid-May 2010. It was funded by MoDOT, the City of Jefferson, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and the Missouri State Parks Foundation.


Watch the ribbon-cutting below to catch some great shots of those already enjoying the bridge attachment.

New and Improved Gateway Guide

Same address, new look and features.

MoDOT's Gateway Guide has undergone a major rehab this spring.

The new website:

• shows nearly 300 live-camera views updating every two seconds
• displays real-time information on incidents and work zones with lane closures
• provides personalized My STL Traffic alerts for lane closures on the highways you use and the times you need it each day. These alerts can be sent to you by text or e-mail.
• includes a mobile-friendly version for your smart phone and other cellular devices
• shows real-time @STL_Traffic Twitter alerts

Check out the new website, take our survey and tell us what you think. The new, updated Gateway Guide gives you better information so you can travel smarter.