Flashing Yellow Arrows Work Better

Even as early as kindergarten, I remember reciting the basic traffic rules mantra – “Red means ‘stop,’ green means ‘go.’ Now, although many people, myself included, often believe that yellow means step on the gas, I do still remember the often unmentioned addendum to the mantra – “Yellow means ‘proceed with caution.’

However, paying attention to that mantra was why traffic engineers are starting to embrace the use of the flashing yellow turn signal arrows to let drivers know they can make a yielding left turn. Until recently, most intersections that allowed drivers to turn left in the spaces between on-coming traffic used a round green ball signal with a sign that told drivers to turn left on the green ball. That rule made sense, but it didn’t keep the signals consistent. When the signal was green, you couldn’t “go,” you were supposed to “proceed with caution.”

So as St. Louis started to test these signals (three of them on Olive Boulevard in 2006) and now is installing them in locations around the area (currently, there are a number on Route K in St. Charles county, five more on Olive Boulevard, and a number on Lindbergh Boulevard), the concept made sense to me.

I have seen some comments from local drivers during the introduction of the flashing yellow arrows. They seemed to fall into two categories. 1) people seem to be confused by these signals, and 2) the change is simply because someone wanted to justify their continued existence and adjusted these signals just for the sake of change.

The first part may be somewhat true – as you introduce a new element to the driver, some of them can potentially misinterpret what the flashing yellow arrow means. The second is flat-out wrong. The Federal Highway Administration sponsored a study that showed that the signals were safer, and that more people understood what the flashing yellow arrow meant.
Basically it breaks down this way – the green ball signal with the yield sign is equal to the flashing yellow arrow. The flashing arrow is more intuitive, is safer, and is more consistent with what we teach our youth about traffic signals.

You can find out more information on the flashing yellow arrows at our website. You can also access the Federal Study from that site. We also have a video showing how to drive through a flashing yellow arrow on YouTube.

Andrew Gates
MoDOT Community Relations

Missouri's largest ARRA project starts

Yesterday, MoDOT and local politicians got together to launch the last section of a project that has been in the works for about 40 years -- the final section of Route 141.

Route 141, between Ladue and Olive Boulevard is still a three lane road (one lane in each direction with a turn lane). Often, during the spring or heavy rainfall, the section of Route 141 there has to be closed due to flooding. Also, anyone who has driven through the area during morning or evening rush hours can expect to be backed up for some time at Parkway Central or as Route 141 goes from a four lane divided highway to a three lane road.

This $44.5 million project is paid for by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money will pull Route 141 above the flood plain and improve the traffic flow on the route. Not only that, but by relocating the new route to the east, a great deal of through traffic from Route 141 (people accessing the Maryland Heights Expressway and Route 364 to St. Charles County) will be removed from a roadway that services two schools, a school bus depot and a number of businesses and subdivisions.

This project will make the roadway safer and move traffic more efficently. Work on the project starts this month and work should be completed by summer 2010.

Saving money, one project at a time

MoDOT has found a silver lining in the dark cloud of the economic decline. The department has seen a decline of revenue in the past year since people are less likely to drive long distances or buy new vehicles. Since the department relies on gas taxes, registration fees and vehicle taxes for funding to maintain and build roads and bridges.

Fortunately, last fiscal year, in St. Louis, the department saved $33 million in its construction budget -- nearly 24 percent of what was budgeted for the year. These savings will be rolled back into other construction projects -- allowing the department to complete more work for you.

One of the more successful methods of reducing costs is what the department calls practical design. This method takes a look at making sure that transportation projects are fixing specific needs, rather than putting in unneeded "frills." Another extensively used method brings contractors into the design process early to let them propose innovative methods to complete the work. So far, we've seen proposals involving alternate materials, varied designs and revised schedules.

All in all, by aggressively managing projects to get them completed on time and under budget, MoDOT continues to try to meet its commitments to the Missouri taxpayers.

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.

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.

The benefit of public meetings

MoDOT is truly interested in recieving input from the public during the design process of most major projects -- there is also an increased emphasis on inviting public comment during even minor projects, as well.

As Missouri transportation experts, MoDOT does look at all of the changes as thoroughly as possible, and public meetings are not an opportunity to "vote" on which projects should be completed. But that also doesn't mean that MoDOT's "mind" is set on making changes. As an example, a recent proposal to close a slip ramp on westbound Route 94 in St. Charles County. MoDOT held a public meeting on Aug. 7, and based on input from that meeting, decided to hold off on closing the ramp for now, make some other changes to the project for safety and continue to monitor the project. You can read more about that here.

2008-2013 Transportation Improvement Plan adds three regional projects

The Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission approved the latest Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan on July 1, which included more than $300 million in new construction projects.

Money for these projects came from lengthened bond terms and lower interest rates on Amendment 3 money, as well as savings from practical design efforts and matching funds from local municipalities. This money will be spent across Missouri, constructing new roads, improving interchanges and purchasing needed right of way for future projects.

In St. Louis, three projects were added to the plan:

• Purchasing right of way for Route 141 between I-64 and Olive Blvd. in St. Louis County


• Completing another section of Route 364, Phase II in St. Charles County


• Interchange improvements at I-55 and Route M in Jefferson County

The five-year STIP includes nearly $5.8 billion in transportation improvements across Missouri, including about $4.3 billion for 730 highway and bridge projects, $810 million for other transportation modes, and $640 for local transportation programs.

Review the entire STIP here.