Roads are much improved, thanks to taxpayers

Taypayers can thank their efforts, primarily through voting for Amendment 3, for the increase in the number of major roads that are in good condition. Across the state, the Missouri Department of Transportation has invested the taxpayer money entrusted to the department in making major roads smoother. Since 2004, the percentage of major roads across Missouri which are now in good condition has increased 36 percent. In the St. Louis area, conditions of major roads in the area, which include Interstates 70, 64/40, 44, 270, 55, 170 and Routes 30, 21 and 364 (the Page Extension) have increased from 53.6 percent in good condition in 2004 to 84.6 percent in good condition in 2008.

Other organizations have noticed the better roads, as well. Truck drivers voted Missouri roads as the fifth best in the nation in a survey published in January by Overdrive magazine, a publication serving the commercial motor carrier industry. The Reason Foundation listed Missouri as among the nation’s leaders in maintaining its transportation system and getting good value, and the Pew Center on the States gave Missouri a B+ for its infrastructure performance.

MoDOT is continuing to use available money to improve roadways. Better Roads, Brighter Future is making the remainder of major highways smoother with wider stripes and more visible signs. The Safe and Sound Bridge Improvement program is repairing or replacing 802 of the state's worst bridges by 2014.

Commission approves nine Recovery Act projects for St. Louis

Yesterday, the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission approved using American Recovery and Rivitalization Act (ARRA) funding for nine projects in the St. Louis metropolitan area, pending approval from the East-West Gateway Council of Governments. These projects, totalling $173 million, should create about 5,900 jobs throughout the region. All projects were determined in conjection with MoDOT's regional partners (to include municipal and county leadership) and meet the requirements for being ready to go. All projects in the region were selected from projects recommended for priority implementation in the region's long-range transportation plan. View the list of approved projects here.

MoDOT is spending more than $525 million of ARRA funding throughout Missouri. Additionally, the state will spend roughly $151 million on other rail, aviation and transit projects, $19 million on enhancement projects and $93 million on county and municipal road projects in St. Louis, Kansas City and the Ozarks.

Planning to revitalize the economy

Last night, the Missouri Department of Transportation outlined the draft list of projects slated for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 money. The money Missouri received for roads and bridges work is roughly 1½ percent of the entire amount required to fully meet the transportation infrastructure needs across the state.

There are specific rules for a project to be selected for ARRA money. Half of the projects have to be able to be under contract before June 30 – the rest have to be under contract before March 2, 2010. They have to be completed within three years and have to be in areas that are economically distressed and have to maximize job creation after the project is completed.

The projects outlined in the draft list included nine in the St. Louis area. The major projects in the St. Louis draft list have been on the regional long-range planner for many years. All the projects on the list have been coordinated and discussed with our municipal and county partners throughout the Greater Metropolitan area. You can view the entire list here.

MoDOT activates first traffic cameras in Jefferson County

Jefferson County drivers along Interstate 55 can now get a better look at their commute, as the Missouri Department of Transportation activated five traffic cameras along the interstate in the county. Drivers can view these cameras, as well as other newly activated cameras along I-55 in south St. Louis County at GatewayGuide.com.
Using the new cameras, drivers can make informed decisions about their commute before they leave work or home. MoDOT can also better monitor traffic conditions and detect incidents such as crashes or congestion on I-55. That information will help the department report conditions on roadways around St. Louis on overhead message boards, Gateway Guide.com and on MoDOT’s 5-1-1 traffic information number. If an incident does occur, MoDOT can dispatch crews to help with traffic control and road clearance, and relay information to the Missouri Highway Patrol.

A hope for saving lives

There's no simple or sugar-coated way to put it: people die on the roadways. Although Missouri has worked hard to reduce those numbers (and done so successfully), there is sill a simple way to save about 10 percent of the people who die on Missouri roadways -- incorporating a primary safety belt law.

This year, MoDOT is working with legislators to get a primary safety belt law passed in Missouri. Increasing safety belt use is the most effective and immediate way to save lives and reduce injuries on Missouri roads. Of more than 500 Missouri traffic laws, the current safety belt law is the only one that has a secondary enforcement provision - a driver must break another law first before they can be cited for a safety belt violation.

MoDOT estimates that we can save more than 90 lives and prevent more than 1,000 serious injuries each year by passing a primary safety belt law. To do this, we need your help. Find out how Missouri can save more lives each year here.

Traffic flow on I-270/I-255

MoDOT is currently doing a study on some of the recent changes to move traffic along I-270 and I-255 in St. Louis, primarily the Variable Speel Limit project. As part of that study, the department is looking for people to take a short survey to determine how effective these traffic changes are. Provide your opinion on traffic flow on the I-270/I-255 loop in Missouri by going here. This survey will remain open until the end of the study, in mid-2010. However, by putting information in now, and as the study continues, drivers in St. Louis can give their input on any improvement (or lack thereof) on traffic flow on St. Louis' busiest interstate.

What to know before you go

In St. Louis, MoDOT has more than 80 projects currently programmed to start in the next year. Some are fairly basic -- resurfacing jobs, putting in barriers and the like -- and will have minimal to no impact on traffic. Others are bigger -- such as the I-64 reconstruction between I-170 and Kingshighway. These projects will have major impact on traffic, requiring detours and extra time to get around the construction. To find out what is planned in your area for the next year, check out the 2009 St. Louis construction map. You can see it on-line here. It is in a pdf format and runs about 635 Kb.