April 28, 2016
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Mid-week travel discounted on Amtrak Missouri River Runner
Save 25 percent on adult fares now through June 30

Whatever reason you have to travel from a quick spring break to a big meeting or a well-deserved getaway, Amtrak has you covered as you travel between Kansas City and St. Louis. Explore the Show Me State via Amtrak while you skip the headaches and hassles of traffic.

You can receive a 25 percent discount when you book your seat for travel on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday for travel through June 30, 2016. Reservations are required at least one day in advance of travel on the Amtrak Missouri River Runner route between Kansas City and St. Louis, which includes stops at Kirkwood, Washington, Hermann, Jefferson City, Sedalia, Warrensburg, Lee's Summit and Independence.

Mid-week discounted tickets are available online only at Amtrak.com. Kids 2-12 ride for 50 percent off the normal full adult fare with each fare-paying adult.

Terms and conditions vary and are displayed on Amtrak.com. The offer is valid for coach seats and is dependent upon availability.
Travel Missouri
Have you checked out visitmo.com, Missouri's one stop shop for summer fun? Here you'll find:
- Things to do
- Places to stay
- Trip ideas
- Deals and discounts
- Download the Missouri tour planner
Social Media
More News from Amtrak
Amtrak pets program adds three midwest states
Cats and dogs welcomed on Missouri's River Runner

Amtrak is expanding its program allowing customers to travel with their pets. Now, small cats and dogs in carriers can join their owners on the  Blue Water, Wolverine Service, Pere Marquette, Missouri River Runner Service and Hiawatha Service. Pet reservations are being accepted now for travel beginning Monday, May 2 on these state-supported routes in Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin.

More than 6,300 pets have traveled with their human companions around the country since the program launched in 2014 as a pilot in Illinois (permanent since April 2015) and expanded to the busy Northeast Corridor in last October.

Dogs and cats must meet the following requirements:
  • The maximum weight of pet including the carrier is limited to 20 pounds.
  • Owners can reserve a space for their pet for a $25 fee; limit one pet per passenger.
  • For the safety and comfort of all passengers, pets must remain in a carrier at all times and carriers must remain under the seat of that passenger.
  • All five pet reservations are allotted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Amtrak continues to welcome service animals on board at no charge. For more information about the Amtrak pet policy, or to purchase tickets, visit Amtrak.com.
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Click here - Express yourself.
Bridge Update
Click above to sign up for text alerts on the project. The option for the bridge is located under the Central District heading.
Tools available to help bridge commuters

With the upcoming closure of the westbound Route 54/63 bridge over the Missouri River in Jefferson City for repainting, MoDOT is reminding motorists about several tools available to help them be better prepared.

The work to switch traffic from the Route 54/63 westbound bridge to the Route 54/63 eastbound bridge will begin the evening of April 29 and will continue through the weekend as weather permits.

Drivers will encounter closed lanes on both bridges throughout the weekend as the contractor prepares for the full closure. 


The bridge will be closed for about four months.

Click here to see all the tools available to help with your commute - 54/63 Bridge.
Have you Seen This?

Transportation, it's personal

Click the image to watch a short video of Mark Russell, the mayor of Maitland, share his personal story of the importance of maintaining the bridge over the Nodaway River between Nodaway and Holt counties. The bridge provides residents, students and drivers with access to the communities in Maitland and Graham. 
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx (photo Alex Brandon/AP).
A departure from decades of highway policy -Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx urges communities to think more carefully about where they build roads.  (Printed from The Atlantic)

Before he was the United States Secretary of Transportation, before he was Mayor of Charlotte, before he was a Charlotte city council member, Anthony Foxx grew up in a split-level house in Charlotte in the shadow of two freeways: I-77 and I-85.

When his grandparents bought the house in 1961, he says, the area was part of an interconnected network of streets and homes - a true neighborhood. Later, the state added two highways, cutting the house and its neighbors off from the rest of the city. There was one road in and out after the highways were completed, and the neighborhood slowly became a place where no one wanted to live or open a business and where not even the pizza-delivery guy would go.

"That infrastructure sent a signal to me about my life," he says.

This pattern was not unique to Foxx's neighborhood. As I've written about before, for decades, federal money has been used to build highways through many American cities, destroying neighborhoods in the process. Foxx acknowledges that urban freeways were routed through.

Read the entire article printed by The Atlantic on its website here - Anthony Foxx Interview.
Safer Roadways
Gear up for motorcycle awareness
Campaign aims to increase motorcycle safety awareness for all road users

Warm spring weather has arrived, and motorcyclists are eager to hit the road. As they tune their engines and prepare for numerous road trips to come, the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety wants to remind motorists and motorcyclists alike to "Watch for Motorcycles" in order to help prevent motorcycle crashes, deaths and injuries on Missouri roadways.

"Approximately 11 percent of Missouri traffic fatalities in 2015 involved a motorcycle, with 92 motorcyclist lives lost" said Bill Whitfield, executive committee chair of the coalition. "We want to see that number decrease this year by reminding all drivers to follow basic safety rules and never drive distracted or impaired."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers the following tips to drivers on how to prevent a fatal crash with a motorcycle:
  • Allow the motorcycle the full width of a lane at all times.
  • Always signal when changing lanes or merging with traffic.
  • Check all mirrors and blind spots for motorcycles before changing lanes or merging with traffic, especially at intersections.
  • Never drive distracted or impaired.
Read more, including safety tips for motorcyclists here - Motorcycle Awareness.

For more information, visit www.saveMOlives.com or Facebook at Twitter at Save MO Lives. Arrive Alive.
Multimodal Operations

Multimodal Operations

MoDOT's mission includes responsibility for other modes of transportation such as rail, river, air and public transportation. In these areas, most of MoDOT's funding comes from federal sources or from state funds that must be appropriated by the Legislature because the State Road Fund revenues are constitutionally required to be spent on roads and bridges.


Aviation  - Missouri has 125 public-use airports and 35 business-capable airports.
Railroads  - Missouri has 4,822 miles of mainline railroad track. Kansas City and St. Louis are the nation's second- and third-largest freight rail hubs.
Waterways  - Missouri has 1,050 miles of navigable rivers and 14 public river ports, including St. Louis, which is the 3rd largest inland port in the U.S.
Public Transit  - More than 70 million public transit trips are made by Missourians per year. Some form of public transportation exists in all 114 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.
Freight Development  - Missouri is ideally suited to become a national freight leader due to its extensive transportation network and central U.S. location. Trucks, planes, barges and trains in Missouri move 1 billion tons of freight each year valued at $1.2 trillion.
Bicycle & Pedestrian - Missouri has approximately 600 miles of shared-use paths on the state system and works with planning partners to create transportation facilities that accommodate non-motorized travel.


Learn more about these modes of transportation here - Multimodal Operations.
Meet MoDOT publication - Meet MoDOT.
Intelligent Transportation
MoDOT wins project of the year award 

MoDOT's use of intelligent transportation systems on rural roadways has been named the winner of the Best of ITS Heartland Project Award.  

On any given commute within the Kansas City or St. Louis metro areas, you will see the dynamic message sign boards warning of accidents and offering accurate drive-time information. The system has become a mainstay for urban drivers as they travel along the roadways every day of the week.

MoDOT has also used several self-contained smart work zones on major construction projects that include portable changeable message signs that warn of stopped traffic ahead when congestion builds in front of the work zone. These smart work zone systems have become a major tool that can help reduce accidents in back of work zone queues.

Read more here - Award.
Missouri Dept. of Transportation | (888) 275-6636
P.O. Box 270 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0270