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Road to Tomorrow team announces pilot projects
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Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission Vice Chairman Stephen Miller discusses the Road to Tomorrow pilot with the press, while members of the Commission, MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna, Chief Engineer Ed Hassinger and the Road to Tomorrow team watch on.
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One year after MoDOT launched its "Road to Tomorrow" initiative, team leader
St. Louis Assistant District Engineer
Tom Blair told the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission at its June 8 meeting in Kansas City the department is ready to move forward with several pilot projects. We are determining their viability for the future of Missouri's transportation system and how they may develop new sustainable transportation revenue streams.
Those projects include:
- Grants - MoDOT has completed two federal grant applications, one for a 2016 TIGER Grant that would fund a "smart pavement" project in the Kansas City region, and another for a Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives grant that would examine new sustainable funding sources.
- Truck Platooning - As a result of legislation passed by the General Assembly this session (now awaiting the Governor's signature), MoDOT will move forward with a pilot project to test the concept on Missouri highways. Platooning is wireless connectivity between commercial trucks that would allow for the second truck to follow at a close distance for better fuel economy and enhanced safety. Motor Carrier Services Director Scott Marion, in collaboration with the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri Trucking Association, is leading the rule-making process to determine how the pilot project will be implemented.
- Internet of Things Broker - MoDOT has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an "Internet of Things" broker. The broker would respond to the demand for devices/networks on our right of way. The "Internet of Things" allows for connecting devices and vehicles using electronic sensors and the Internet. Technology can be used for such things as smart traffic control, safety and road assistance. Right of Way Director Kelly Lucas is leading this effort.
- Smart Pavement Request for Proposals - MoDOT is developing an RFP for a pilot project to install "smart pavement" for testing at a location to be determined. Smart pavement would feature sensors and systems that provide, enable and support vehicle-to-infrastructure, and infrastructure-to-vehicle connected vehicle technologies and services. The intent of smart pavement is to provide a suite of digital, communication and information services to MoDOT, motor carriers and other commercial fleet operators and private drivers on a subscription basis to enable sustainable, self-funded infrastructure assets for public owners. Brian Burger, a resident engineer in the Kansas City District, is leading this project.
- Solar Roadways Pilot Project - MoDOT will be launching a "Solar Roadways Pilot Project" at the Conway Welcome Center on I-44 in Laclede County. Solar panels will be installed on sidewalks to test their potential for generating heat to melt snow and for generation of electricity for other purposes. MoDOT will allocate $100,000 of dedicated research funds as "seed money" to install the solar panels and will use "crowd sourcing" to attract funds to recover seed money and expand scope of the project if it is successful. Laurel McKean, assistant district engineer in the Southwest District, is leading this project.
"We'll have to look at those individually and certainly there's a public process to go through when we're looking at these technologies," said MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna. "There's a safety process we have to look at. We have to be very careful about how we do them and involve the legislature and the public as we go. As we get to new revenue streams, we may need some enabling legislation for some of those.
Blair said the Road to Tomorrow team will continue to solicit ideas from the public and the private sector.
Click here to watch Tom Blair's Road to Tomorrow presentation to the Commission -
Road to Tomorrow.
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| Stay Up-to-Date on MoDOT's Road to Tomorrow |
| Stay up-to-date on the Road to Tomorrow initiative by visiting MoDOT's website here - Road to Tomorrow. |
MoDOT works with planning partners to create transportation facilities that work for all users because we value bicycle and pedestrian travel.
Accommodating for bicyclists or pedestrians may be as simple as providing a well-designed road that all road users share or as complex as a separate-grade structure, such as a bridge.
Developing appropriate facility design for non-motorists depends on a variety of geometric and operational factors that are inter-related, such as available right-of-way, projected traffic counts and adjacent roadway design speeds.
We strive to integrate non-motorized travel into the existing system to provide connections where none exist to promote efficiency and to focus on a primary concern-the safety of those who depend on walking or bicycling to reach their destinations.
Click to read more on MoDOT's Bike-Ped Program. |
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I-70 Lamine River Bridges project begins prep work
Project will have major impact on I-70 travel later this summer
A highway construction project that will have a major impact on Interstate 70 traffic later this summer began prep work on May 31. The project will repair the eastbound and westbound Interstate 70 bridges over the Lamine River west of Boonville.
Motorists will encounter nightly lane closures on and near the bridge from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. until early July. One lane of I-70 in each direction will be open at all times. Contractors will be working under the bridge and will be building crossovers for use later this summer when the work will require full bridge closures.
The full closures will eventually reduce I-70 traffic to one lane in each direction around the clock. However, the work requiring full bridge closures and head-to-head traffic on I-70 will not start until after the Fourth of July and will be completed before Labor Day. When the around the clock work begins after July 4, significant delays are anticipated with potentially several miles of backup on Thursday, Friday and Sunday afternoons and early evenings. The entire project is scheduled for completion in November.
Read more here - I-70 Lamine River Bridge.
For more information about this project and to sign up to receive periodic email updates, visit I70LamineBridge.
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New bike-ped path on Boone Bridge opened
 MoDOT will open the new bicycle/pedestrian trail on the eastbound I-64 Daniel Boone Missouri River Bridge today.
The path connects the Monarch Levee Trail in St. Louis County to the KATY Trail in St. Charles County. The Boone Bridge is the seventh Missouri River crossing in the state to have a dedicated bike/ped crossing.
"These Missouri River crossings are important because they create the connections that allow people to walk and bicycle in Missouri and because they give people an opportunity to make a personal connection with the beauty of the Missouri River and the engineering marvel of the bridges," said Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation Director Brent Hugh.
When the new path opens, the Monarch Levee Trail on either side of the Boone Bridge will also reopen. The trail closed in 2013 to allow for construction of the new eastbound bridge as well as the rehabilitation of the 1980's bridge to carry westbound traffic.
Find out more here - Bike-ped path. |
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Transportation, it's personal
Kirksville, home to many industries, small businesses and educational institutions, serves as a "hub" for northern Missouri. See the benefits that a well-funded transportation system can bring to communities in this personal story.
Click on the image to watch. |
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MoDOT Tidbits
Here are some interesting tidbits about MoDOT signals and signs.
- Over 2,500 signals managed and maintained
- Over 250 dynamic message signs operated
- Over 150,000 square feet of signs installed
- Over 600 cameras operated
- Three Traffic Management Centers operated
MoDOT uses the dynamic message signs to share safety messages when the signs are not being used to provide important traffic information to motorists.
One of the messages currently being used is really resonating with Missourians. The message "It's a Passing Lane...Not a Cruising Lane" was posted to MoDOT's statewide Facebook account receiving as of June 8:
- 10,000 shares
- 4,900 reactions
- 344 comments
- was seen by 1.15 million people
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Missouri Dept. of Transportation | (888) 275-6636
P.O. Box 270 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0270
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