Can You Do Better?

Hey high school students! Check out this video working to convince teens to buckle up. It won last year's Battle of the Belt Challenge.

Think you can do better? Show us! Sign up today for the Battle of the Belt Challenge for this fall and put your cinematic skills to work.  Who knows? There's more than prizes at stake -- if your video convinces a friend to buckle up, you may save a life.

Make it click by clicking here!

Sept. 11-17 is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week

Look around. Really. Turn away from the screen for a minute and look around the room.

Chances are, the vast majority of items you see were hauled by truck at some point. Flooring, concrete, mail, paint, furniture, light bulbs, clothing, chairs, pens and snacks – it sat behind a truck driver.

Truckers drive 400 billion miles a year in the United States. Most of the time, you never notice them. That’s actually the goal. If you don’t notice them, it’s because the driver is operating safely and courteously.

If you are lucky enough to know a professional driver, ask them about the challenges and joys of the job. There are plenty of both. And no one spins a story quite like a truck driver.

So if you have the chance this week, wave or smile to thank the truck drivers you see. Everyone likes acknowledgement for good work.

Safest Driving Cities

Springfield, Mo., is one of the safest cities in the nation for drivers.

The Allstate Insurance Company released their 7th annual Allstate America's Best Drivers Report. It ranks the nation's 200 largest cities in terms of car collision frequency to identify which cities have the safest drivers.

Springfield ranks seventh, with the average driver going 12 years without collisions.

Springfield has completed several major projects that help keep traffic moving smoothly. The nation's first diverging diamond interchange opened in 2009, with a second opening in July 2010. The award-winning, innovative design helps relieve congestion in a tight area, keeping drivers safer.

This week, Springfield opened the first six-lane highway in southern Missouri on Route 65. The project added a lane in each direction in the median, with a 7-foot-wide median shoulder and a concrete barrier separating the northbound and southbound sides. These improvements will keep traffic moving and motorists even safer.

Based on your travels in the state, which city would you say had the best or worst drivers?

Are We There Yet?

A recent survey of Missouri motorists shows that more Missourians are buckling up - that's great news!

But are we where we need to be?

The national average for seat belt use is 85 percent -- even with the recent three-percent jump in Missouri, we're still at 79 percent.  How comfortable are we to know that 21 percent of motorists in our state face ejection from their vehicle if a traffic crash occurs?

Some vehicle types stand out when looking at seat belt use. For example, pickup truck drivers are among the worst with only 66 percent buckling up. Considering those rockin' trucks also have an affinity to roll, that makes quite a bumpy ride (or flight) for that unrestrained driver.

MoDOT continues to support the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety to support seat belt use and work to make sure everyone makes it click when they hit the road. A primary seat belt law would likely raise our percentage and save lives - 32 states already have this.

In the meantime, make sure you and your passengers are buckled every trip, every time. Learn more about seat belt safety in Missouri at www.savemolives.com.

New and Improved

On Friday, children, families and teachers in Bevier celebrated a safer walk to school.

Through the Safe Routes to School program, the City of Bevier was able to construct needed sidewalks to keep students from walking in the street to get to school. This is a tremendous improvement in safety for these students.

The purpose of the Safe Routes to School program is to enable and encourage more children to walk and bike to school across Missouri. Why is this important? Besides reduced traffic around schools and a healthier lifestyle for the children, the students list one more important reason: it's fun!

Learn more about how Safe Routes to School can get your community moving!

Walking to school can be fun for both students and families!

Bevier now has a safer, more appealing way to get to school.

Livable Streets

In August, 2011 MoDOT in Kansas City hosted the Livable Streets Design Workshop led by nationally known expert Bruce Landis.

On Aug. 25, architects, engineers and planners from MoDOT and communities across the Kansas City District sat down as one transportation group to talk about what it means to build Livable Streets at the Best Practices in Bicycle Pedestrian Design workshop.

Across the country, more communities recognize that drivers are not the only type of transportation, and in fact, more citizens request the safe sidewalks, bike routes and transit options that fit their lifestyle.

In May, the Missouri House of Representatives passed the Complete Streets Resolution, urging cities, communities and state transportation to consider bikers, pedestrians and transit users whenever they planned transportation projects. The Best Practices in Bicycle Pedestrian Design workshop, hosted in partnership with MU Extension, focused on just that -- making streets that accommodate any mode of transportation.

The all-day workshop featured internationally known Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner and Engineer Bruce Landis. His presentation included strategies to make neighborhoods, retail districts and other community settings more walkable, bikable and accessible to all.

“This program was designed to let planners look at a street objectively and see, based on what is going on in the roadway environment, exactly how to design a livable street,” said Landis.

One of the things discussed was what makes a street more livable? It could be as simple as sidewalks and crosswalks. But planners also consider wheelchair ramps, bicycle paths, mixed-use paths that may host joggers and dog walkers alike, bus stops, or even paved shoulders in a rural area.

Several locations joined the workshop via webinar, including Jefferson City, St. Louis District Office, Northeast District, Southeast District Office, Northwest District Office, Southwest District Office and Macon. 

Troubled Waters

Find flooding detour information at www.modot.org/flooding.

Flooding and detours continue in Northwest Missouri. Eleven weeks after Interstate 29 first closed, it still remains closed at Rock Port.

The four states affected by long-term flooding continue to work together to route travelers around the high water. Missouri has partnered with Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska to create a regional detour that can be found on MoDOT's website at www.modot.org/flooding. It also provides information on the latest road closures with a link to the Traveler Information Map.

It will take time to get these roads back in shape, but MoDOT monitors the roads as water recedes to assess damage and begin repairs.

If these routes are part of your holiday weekend travels, be sure to check the detours before you go. And play it safe! Drive sober, buckle up and slow down.

MoDOT Minute

How much are this year's natural disasters costing Missouri? Find out in this week's MoDOT Minute - your transportation news in 60 seconds!

Good for LYF

We found out about an app this week that may help combat texting while driving.

The LYF app rewards you for making the decision to stay safe and focus on your driving. LYF stands for Love Your Family.

The application tracks the use of your phone when your vehicle is moving more than 15 miles per hour. If the phone is in idle status during that time, the owner receive points.

Find out more at www.goodforlyf.com. In the meantime, stay alert and focused when you're behind the wheel!

A Year to Remember

Mother Nature has pummeled Missouri with four unprecedented weather events this year! Listen as Assistant Chief Engineer Don Hillis gets "To the Point" about the monetary damages to Missouri's transportation system caused by this spring and summer's flooding and the Joplin tornado. Learn how these disasters will impact our construction program.

Gotta Get a Gator Getter!

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


It's the Gator Getter! 


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


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


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


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


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


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

What's The Buzz?

Wondering if you can handle your drive home after a drink with some friends? There's an app for that.

The Show Me My Buzz app is available for download and lets you calculate your blood alchohol level before you decide to get behind the wheel. It's available now in the Android market and will be available through the iPhone app store soon.


“Show Me My Buzz” allows users to calculate their BAC based on how may drinks they have consumed, how long they have been drinking and their gender. It will even provide the phone number of a local cab company with just a tap of the screen.


The BAC calculator is only a guide that estimates averages.  Alcohol affects everyone differently.  Influencing factors include food consumption, medication, health and psychological conditions.  The best plan is to always designate a sober driver. A sober driver is someone who has not had anything to drink.


In 2010, 207 people were killed and 831 seriously injured in crashes involving a drunk driver.


Download today and let us know your thoughts!


Disclaimer: This blood alcohol concentration (BAC) calculator is only an estimate and is not sufficiently accurate to be considered legal evidence. The calculations are averages. Individuals may vary in their personal alcohol tolerance. Food in the stomach, medications, health and psychological conditions are influencing factors. Many establishments that serve alcohol serve portions larger than the standard drink size.

MoDOT Minute

Grab the latest Missouri transportation news, in 60 seconds!

Hybrid Composite Beams

If it works for boats, why not for bridges?


As part of its Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program, MoDOT received a $1 million federal "Highways for Life" grant to utilize hybrid composite beams on three bridge projects -- in Douglas, Shannon and Dade Counties. These innovative structural elements are much lighter than conventional steel or concrete beams, which make them easier to transport and install. The exterior of HCBs is fiberglass, materials also used to construct boats and sulfuric acid storage tanks. The fiberglass makes them more resistant to water and chlorides, and therefore longer lasting.


Check out some photos and the video below that explains this technology. Happy Sailing!







http://www.flickr.com/photos/modot/sets/72157627384391038/

Save the date for Livable Streets Workshop

A few years ago, I traveled to Minneapolis for a work-related meeting. Venturing out to find a restaurant and explore the area around my hotel, I was quickly impressed to see dedicated bicycle lanes on their busy downtown streets.

Back at home, Jefferson City now has better options for walkers and peddlers with the new pedestrian/bicycle attachment to the Missouri River bridge. It gives bikers and walkers a safer connection between downtown and the Katy Trail – now noted as the best bike trail in the Midwest!

If you are interested in making your community more accessible to those who prefer to walk or ride a bicycle to work or shopping or just for fun and exercise, then you won’t want to miss the Best Practices in Bicycle Pedestrian Design workshop MoDOT is hosting in partnership with MU Extension later this month.

The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on August 25 and will feature nationally known Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner and Engineer Bruce Landis. His presentation will focus on strategies for transportation designers that make neighborhoods, retail districts and other community settings more walkable, bikable and accessible to all. If you are a planner, architect or engineer attending the workshop, you can even earn continuing professional education credits.

The workshop will be broadcast in a webinar fashion from a live presentation at MoDOT’s Kansas City District Office at 600 N.E. Colbern Rd., Lee’s Summit. It will be simultaneously televised for public attendance at seven additional MoDOT locations including Jefferson City, Chesterfield, Hannibal, Sikeston, St. Joseph, Springfield and Macon (see news release for physical addresses).

Registration is required and will cost $25, with a reduced registration of $10 for students. Lunch is included. Click here for more information or to register online.

Secret Word Facebook Contest

The Missouri State Fair has begun! MoDOT hopes to see you at the Transportation Exposition Center and Highway Gardens this year, and we'll have a contest running to encourage you to join in the fun.

Beginning on Saturday, August 13, check our facebook page anytime after 9 a.m. We will post a secret word. If you're at the fair that day, find a MoDOT staffer at the Highway Gardens who is wearing a Hawaiian lei. The first person to tell that MoDOT staffer the secret word will win!

The contest runs on five days - August 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21. Some of the days will have multiple prizes -- those who share the secret word first get their pick, the others pick from what's available.

So check our facebook page, beginning Saturday!! A list of prizes is included in our rules, and includes tickets to the sold-out Jason Aldean concert, Luke Bryan, Carnival of Madness, the Truck & Tractor Pull and the Demolition Derby.

Don't miss the fun! We'll see you at the fair!

500 Bridges, Safe & Sound!

One year ago, we were celebrating the completion of the 200th bridge constructed under the Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program.

Yesterday, that number climbed to 500.  Before the program is complete by the end of 2012, more than 800 bridges across Missouri will be rehabilitated or replaced.

We're more than halfway there! Better yet, the average closure of bridges across the state has been about 40 days -- that's half the time a typical bridge replacement takes.

Project of the Year

The nation's first diverging-diamond interchange in Springfield has been named a Public Works Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association.  

The interchange has been receiving widespread attention since it was completed in 2009. This type of interchange was first used in France, and has been shown to increase capacity, decrease congestion and minimize the cost of new infrastructure.

More diverging diamond interchanges are happening in Missouri, including a second interchange in Springfield, as well as projects in Kansas City, St. Louis and mid-Missouri.

If you're wondering just exactly how they work, watch below. Driven through one already? Let us know what you think!

All aboard for the Missouri State Fair

In years past, my family and I have attended the Missouri State Fair. The trip there is always filled with anticipation for the fun we will have. But, after a long day of walking the fairgrounds in the sun, looking at exhibits, riding rides and tasting interesting fair foods, no one feels like driving home.

There is a simple solution – the Amtrak Missouri River Runner!

Amtrak runs between St. Louis and Kansas City with morning and evening stops in Sedalia by eastbound and westbound trains every day. If you don’t live in one of the metro areas, you can catch the train in Lee’s Summit, Independence, Warrensburg, Jefferson City, Hermann, Washington and Kirkwood.

By leaving the driving to the River Runner conductor, you can sit back and relax in a big comfortable seat, read the paper, catch up with the kids and even enjoy a snack from the dining car on your way there.

Plus, when you arrive you won’t have to worry about parking. A city bus is available to take fairgoers from Sedalia’s newly remodeled station to near the fair’s main gates for just $1.25.

Once you get inside the gates, stop by MoDOT’s Highway Gardens and visit the Amtrak table. You can enter to win Missouri River Runner tickets for another tranquil trip!

So, come on out to the State Fair on August 11 – 21. This year, it’s a Show-Me Thing! Let Amtrak Missouri River Runner show you a great way to get to Sedalia.

Check Amtrak schedules and fares, visit www.amtrak.com or call 800-USA-RAIL.

Enter the Barrel Bob State Fair Contest

If you were hoping to see an eleven-foot-tall barrel man at the Missouri State Fair this year, look no further than the MoDOT Highway Gardens. He will be the orange-and-white striped figure towering over all of us reminding you to slow down and pay attention in work zones.

Barrel Bob wants to make sure you don't get lost on the way to visit him at the Missouri State Fair, so he's giving you an opportunity to win a Garmin nuvi donated by WHHL/Hot 104.1.

Fashion a likeness of Barrel Bob in any medium. Draw a picture, sculpt him from macaroni, paint him, it doesn't matter! Upload your photo to his Facebook page, and you will be entered to win the GPS. You have until his official debut at the State Fair on Aug. 11 to enter. Check out the official rules here.

Ready, set, DRAW!