Smog Running Scared

Beginning this week, St. Louis smog is running scared - not because of Halloween tricks, but due to some very hungry new concrete.

On Monday , a new smog-eating concrete was poured in St. Louis. It's being tested on a 1500-foot stretch of the new Route 141.

The concrete contains an additive that absorbs smog, uses sunlight to break it down and releases it as nitrogen and carbon dioxide. 

Find more pictures on the MoDOT St. Louis's facebook page. Follow the page to watch for more pictures and the results!

Me Want Smog!

Nom, nom, nom ... this concrete doesn't care much for cookies, but can't resist a nice batch of smog.
MoDOT and contractor Fred Weber Inc., will test a new type of concrete on a section of Route 141 in St. Louis this month.

A new additive which breaks down smog will be added to the stretch. The additive absorbs smog, uses sunlight to break it down and releases it as nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

Stay tuned for the result!

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.

Cleaning Up

Gov. Jay Nixon presents MoDOT employee Curtis Dowden with  the 2010 Recycling Award.

I guess the older I get, the easier it is to understand why conserving, recycling, and reusing is important to preserving our planet. Now I’m far from being a recycling super hero, but I do try and think green every day. I’m happy to say that my recycling bin is pretty full when disposal services show up at my house every week and nothing gets thrown away from my office that shouldn’t be. Now, there are green efforts… and then there are GREEN efforts.

The Missouri State Recycling Program recently announced this year’s winners for top agency and individual for recycling and waste reduction… and MoDOT swept the awards, again!

Curtis Dowden, a MoDOT senior materials inspector, won the individual award for his recycling efforts. Dowden started a plastics recycling program in Willow Springs and collects about 70 pounds of it every week. Dowden recycles the plastic, which decreases trash hauling costs and waste that would end up in an area landfill. The New Franklin Parkway project helped MoDOT secure the team award. This green effort included removing a bridge crossing the Katy Trail, recycling the demolition debris, and keeping thousands of tons of potential waste from heading to an area landfill.

Every little bit helps, from my weekly 15 or so pounds of recyclable waste to the 70 pounds of plastic Curtis Dowden is committed to collecting. The 10,000 pounds of waste averted from a New Franklin area landfill to the more than 8 billion pounds of waste MoDOT has recycled since 2005. Being green is a goal MoDOT strives to achieve and these statewide recycling awards show the commitment.  

Being Green

Any environmental conscience statistic or answer I get that’s in the billions tells me something impressive is going on – so when I heard that the Missouri Department of Transportation has recycled more than 8.4 billion pounds of waste since 2005 I about fell off my chair. Click here for news release.

MoDOT has recycled in two ways in order to get to the 8.4 billion pound mark. The first involves industrial waste coming from mines, steel furnaces and power plants. This waste that normally goes directly to landfills has been collected and recycled, which over the past 5 years has totaled 3.56 billion. I called a few landfill managers here in Missouri and I found out 3.56 billion pounds of waste would fill the Empire State Building 4 times! To recycle is one thing, but to do it so aggressively that it removes the equivalent of 89,000 semi-truck loads from area landfills is another.

The biggest way MoDOT recycles is by reusing material. Instead of throwing away concrete and asphalt from old projects, we use the material again on new projects. Since 2005, MoDOT has recycled 4.86 billion pounds of reclaimed material that goes directly to new construction projects. This not only saves our environment, but saves taxpayer money too. I’m sure many of the highway miles you travel on contain reclaimed material.

It’s good to know that billions of pounds of waste are not sitting in a landfill and my tax dollars are getting used wisely when state roads get improved. Being environmentally aware is a good thing to be and I’m glad MoDOT is a leader when it comes to being green.

Leaner, Cleaner and Greener

The carbon footprint just got a little smaller in Poplar Bluff and Warrensburg.

MoDOT's Transit Unit used a federal grant to help two local public transportation agencies in these communities purchase a new hybrid vehicle that promises to run cleaner and cheaper than standard buses. Missouri is one of the first states to introduce hybrid technoliges on rural transit routes.

The buses have the potential to reduce fuel use by up to 40 percent, lower maintenance costs by 30 percent and reduce emissions by up to 30 percent.

Watch below to see how the Poplar Bluff community is enjoying their leaner, greener bus.

Sun Power

When the racers in the American Solar Challenge roll into Jefferson City on Tuesday, June 22, for a checkpoint at the Capitol, they will be greeted with a portable highway sign bearing the message, "Welcome Solar Racers."

So what, you might ask?

Well, the cool thing is the sign is powered by the sun just like the cars in the race. Using solar power is just one way MoDOT strives to be energy efficient and a good steward of the environment.

One of MoDOT's hybrid bucket trucks will also be on display at the Energy and Innovation Fair sponsored by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in conjunction with the race check point. MoDOT was the first government agency in the nation to test the energy-saving diesel-electric truck.

The department is also a leader in using alternative fuels and recycled roof shingles in asphalt. Plus, each year MoDOT crews pick up more than 80,000 tires that are left on state highways. The tires are ground up and used as fuel at power plants.

So it's just natural - no pun intended - that MoDOT is helping sponsor the Solar Challenge Race event. You can find out more about the race at www.dnr.mo.gov/solarrace.htm. More information about MoDOT's green efforts can be found at www.modot.org/goinggreen/conservation.htm.