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Transportation: What Really Matters?
Transportation affects everyone. Most people jump into their vehicles and go to work every day without giving a second thought to the roads they travel, the bridges they cross or the passing trains in the distance. They don't think about the daily impact transportation has on their lives.
In the coming weeks, MoDOT will be featuring personal transportation stories on our website. Business owners, travelers, teachers, parents, nurses and neighbors will all share their stories about how transportation impacts their lives. Specifically, these stories will focus on four critical areas of Missouri's system.
Roads
Missourians face many tough choices when it comes to maintaining their highway system. Although Missouri can now match federal funds for 2017, a long-term funding solution is needed to maintain our system of roads and highways.
For a list of current roadwork in your area, click here -
Roadwork, and select your District.
Bridges
Who wants to ferry their vehicle over water? Who wants to take a 20-mile detour because a local bridge is out? Probably none of us. Bridges play an important role in our daily transportation needs--one that goes mostly unnoticed. A system of safe bridges allows us to forget how important they really are to the average Missourian.
The number of "critical" bridges in Missouri is growing. Missouri currently has 641 bridges on the "critical" list - an increase of 50 from a year ago. More than 100 bridges would need to be replaced every year just to get ahead of the deterioration. If this trend continues to climb, Missouri could have 1,500 bridges in critical condition in 10 years!
For on Missouri's critical bridges, click here -
Critical Bridges
.
Safety
MoDOT is committed to keeping all Missourians safe on the road. Personal transportation experiences inevitably involve safety. Safety is in the hands of all of us, whether it's slowing down a bit during inclement weather or remembering to buckle that seat belt.
MoDOT is committed to furthering safety through innovation. Edge-line rumble strips, expanded shoulders and the addition of median-guard cable continue to make highways a safer place to travel.
For more details on MoDOT's commitment to safety, click here -
Safety
.
Economic Development
A strong and functioning system of roads is essential to the continued economic development of Missouri. Good roads create jobs by bringing in new businesses and keeping established ones here. A well-maintained infrastructure keeps the costs of goods down and is vital to attracting and retaining business and industry in Missouri.
Roads and bridges are the backbone of our economy. We'll be featuring many voices who have an opinion on insufficient transportation funding and the future of Missouri's economy.
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MoDOT's Travel
Information Map
Gets You Where You Need to Go
Before heading to
The Mizzou game
this weekend, or any
fall travels, be sure to
check out MoDOT's
travel advisory map.
The map shows work zones, incidents and other closures that will help you get to your destination.
It can also be down-
loaded as an app for
your mobile device.
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Road Deaths in Missouri This Year
607
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| I-70 at Blackwater Creek Still Under Construction |
Governor's Highway Safety Association Releases Report on Drug-Impaired Driving
Today, the GHSA released a report that examines the complicated issue of drug-impaired driving. This publication makes several recommendations for states based on the current state of knowledge about the issue and lessons learned from around the country. The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org) provided funding for this project.
GHSA and Responsibility.org are hosting a webinar on Oct. 7 at 2:00 p.m. EDT to highlight key takeaways from the report and answer questions. Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4571157289772220673.
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Another Unseen Casualty: The Loss of Talent
View from the Chair by Missouri Transportation Commission Chairman
Stephen R. Miller
Our failure to invest in transportation has many consequences. I have previously detailed our decaying roads and bridges. Most recently, I have highlighted the detrimental effects on Missouri's construction industry and its workers and professionals. There is still another unseen consequence - one that very much worries the Commission. It concerns our own house: the men and women of MoDOT.
In an anti-government age, this may not be a popular topic. But the fact remains that our collective well-being requires committed and competent public servants. Nowhere is this more true than in transportation. We need professionals to work with the public in planning - and with engineers in designing - and with contractors in building - and with law enforcement in assisting - and with emergency responders in saving. We need drivers willing to plow snow through the night and maintenance workers willing to work within a few feet of 70 mile-per-hour traffic to care for our roads.
We have heard the call to cut government fat, to run lean and mean and to operate more like private business. That's why, over a five-year period, we reduced MoDOT's workforce by 1,200 - a 20 percent reduction from 6,300 when I joined the Commission - to 5,100 today. We closed 124 maintenance facilities and consolidated from ten districts to seven, shuttering three district offices. We sold off 752 pieces of heavy equipment (e.g. plow trucks, motor graders, loaders, tractors, etc.). In the process, we put $600 million back on the roads - money that went directly to contractors to help preserve our system. The crisis we face today would be much worse and would have occurred much sooner if we had not taken these measures. No other department of transportation in the country has taken these kind of steps.
Is this praiseworthy? Yes. But you know what? It is something that we should be doing. It is responsible stewardship. And it is the right thing.
Read More - View From the Chair.
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Are you ready for Walk to School Day 2015? If you are hosting a walk to school event, be sure to register it at http://walkbiketoschool.org/.
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Missouri Dept. of Transportation | (888) 275-6636
P.O. Box 270 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0270
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