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.

Implementing a Travel Safe Zone

Monday, MoDOT implemented a Travel Safe Zone on eastbound I-64 between Mason Road and Ballas Road.

MoDOT implements Travel Safe Zones on those stretches of highway that significantly exceed the number of crashes with fatalities or disabling injuries when compared with similar highways with comparable traffic counts. The department uses a formula to determine a crash rate, based on the length of the stretch of highway, the number of crashes and the daily traffic on that highway.

In this case, there were 443 crashes over the last three years on eastbound I-64 in this area, including 180 crashes in 2008. Of those 443 crashes in the past three years, there were nine major crashes. In those nine major crashes, there were four fatalities and 33 people who received disabling injuries. Additionally, 295 of the 443 crashes were rear-end crashes, primarily during the day when the road was dry and the sky was clear. This tends to indicate excessive speed along the route, or distracted driving.

One of the public concerns we have heard about the Travel Safe Zone is that it is at the request of the local municipalities to increase their revenues. This is completely false – MoDOT initiated the Travel Safe Zone and MoDOT gets NO money from traffic tickets written along state routes. This is truly a safety issue. Our hope is to have people increase their safety awareness in this area, slow down and pay attention.

Currently, this Travel Safe Zone will remain in operation for a year.

Variable Speed Limits – What’s the deal?

MoDOT is currently in a two-year study on the use and effectiveness of Variable Speed Limits (where traffic engineers raise and lower the speed limits based on how fast traffic is moving). Since the project was implemented in May 2008, the department has surveyed drivers and collected speed data. The media is reporting on preliminary findings of that survey (which include the fact that at this point, law enforcement and drivers are not convinced of its effectiveness).

As one of the people sitting in on developing the criteria for the study, I have to admit that this was completely expected. One of the items I hoped to see as part of the study was a change in public opinion through the two-year project. This is a brand-new idea to the St. Louis area -- using variable speeds to manage the volume of traffic flow through congested areas is completely new, and people don’t like change they don’t completely understand.

This early data from this study helps MoDOT determine what it’s doing correctly and what it isn’t. For instance, one of the big areas that drivers and law enforcement both stress is that they don’t believe the public is as informed as they need to be about how variable speed limits work. That’s a great point, and something that MoDOT (and I) need to look at. So – we have a website that talks about how the project works, we have a flyer that we handed out, and we’ve put spots in the media. What else do you suggest? I’ll consider any reasonable request (especially if it’s cheap (since we are a state agency.))

Congratulations to new journeyman graduates

It's been a while since I've posted out here, and it's been a busy month. However, that is no excuse for not sharing through our blog format.

However, I got some news recently that I think is fantastic (and not just because I have to say that since I am a spokesperson for MoDOT.)

The I-64 project is about setting new methods of achieving goals, and looking for ways that we, as a community, can get the right things done. And though it may not be as celebrated as reopening half of the roadway on time, I think the I-64 team has just reached another important goal.

As you may remember, we helped train a number of socially or economically disadvantaged individuals in pre-apprentice programs and then get apprenticeship training on the I-64 project. The first five have completed their apprenticeships and are now journeymen (or should that be journeypersons...?) Although I didn't work through the construction industry, I was in the military, and I know how I felt after about four years of hard work when I officially completed an apprenticeship. These five people (two carpenters, a mason, and two laborers) have every reason to be proud of their efforts.

We have 12 more people who should complete their requirements for journeyman status before the end of the I-64 project. Congratulations to the recent journeyman graduates and good luck in the future!

You can read more at our website.

Andrew Gates

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.