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MoDOT launches enhanced pothole patrol
Report a pothole by phone, online or your smart phone/tablet
 Earlier this month, MoDOT kicked off an enhanced pothole repair initiative. Through the rest of March, maintenance crews throughout Missouri are committed to repairing potholes with asphalt as quickly as possible after it's reported. MoDOT will aggressively respond and patch potholes to keep state highways smooth and safe for Missouri motorists.
"We want to get asphalt in the hole as quickly as possible. If you report it in the morning, our goal is to repair it before you drive the same road the next business day," said MoDOT State Maintenance Engineer Becky Allmeroth. "We know our aging infrastructure is prone to potholes this time of year, and we are making efforts to keep our roads as safe and smooth as possible."
Motorists can report the location of potholes on state maintained roads using the following tools:
MoDOT spends approximately $15 million a year on pothole patching with the majority of that during the month of March. "On any given day in March, it would not be unusual to have 300 pothole patching crews working on our state roadways," said Allmeroth. "Please watch out for them, and move over a lane to give them room to work."
Potholes form when temperatures warm up during the day but continue to be cold at night. This is the main cause of potholes in highways and why they are prevalent during spring. The rain and snow from winter leave moisture that seeps into cracks and joints in the pavement. When temperatures drop, the water freezes and expands the pavement. This expansion causes the pavement to bulge and crack. When cars drive over the bulging pavement, it eventually causes chunks of pavement to pop out.
The state of Missouri maintains 34,000 miles of road including interstates, U.S. and MO routes and lettered routes. Potholes in city streets or subdivisions should be directed to your local city or county.
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Take the pledge: when you get into any vehicle, buckle up your safety belt. If you are a driver, put the cellphone down. Join the 105 people (24 of which represent business) who have taken the pledge so far.
Click below to accept the challenge!
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Make a difference, save a life - b
uckle up, every trip, every time
 Warmer weather has many young Missourians out on the roads heading to spring break, prom and other exciting springtime activities.
The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety wants to remind teens how dangerous a car ride can be if they don't take wearing their safety belt seriously. Law enforcement will be out in full force March 16 -19 to crack down on unbelted teen drivers and save lives.
"The national average for safety belt usage is 90 percent. Missouri is below that average at only 81 percent, and teens in Missouri fall even lower at 70 percent," said MoDOT Director of Highway Safety, Bill Whitfield. "We want to see those numbers go up."
Consider some of the reasons you should choose to wear your safety belt:
- Under Missouri's Graduated License Law, permit drivers and all passengers must wear safety belts.
- Of the 196 teenagers killed in traffic crashes in the past three years, over 74 percent of them were not buckled up.
- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, safety restraint systems, utilized correctly, reduce the risk of fatal injuries to front-seat passenger vehicle occupants by 45 percent and reduce the risk of moderate-to-critical injuries by 50 percent. For occupants of light trucks, using safety belts lower the risk of fatal injuries by 60 percent and moderate-to-critical injuries by 65 percent.
For more information, visit saveMOlives.com, or find us on social media at Save MO Lives. Buckle up, and ARRIVE ALIVE. |
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Don't push your luck - driving impaired changes everything
 This St. Patrick's Day weekend, make sure your luck doesn't run out by planning ahead for a sober ride home should you choose to take part in the celebration. The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety reminds motorists of the various options available to get everyone home safely. Designating a sober driver, calling a cab or using public transportation are just a few of those options.
In 2016, 177 people were killed and 641 were seriously injured in crashes that involved at least one substance-impaired driver. Many substance-impaired drivers are under 21. Missouri's Zero Tolerance Law states that drivers under 21 years old caught with even a trace of alcohol in their system will have their licenses suspended.
Read more, including some of the consequences of choosing to drive impaired - Don't push your luck. |
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Buckle up - phone down
The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety and MoDOT are challenging state agencies and Missouri businesses to join the Buckle Up-Phone Down movement. The challenge is simple: when you get into any vehicle, buckle up your safety belt. If you are a driver, put the cellphone down.
Right now, Missouri has a "no texting" law for drivers under 21 years old. But we are challenging all drivers to honor that ban no matter what their age. In 2016, 940 people were killed in Missouri traffic crashes - 686 were vehicle drivers and passengers, with 63 percent being unbuckled. When a driver is texting and driving, they are 23 times more likely to be in a critical incident.
With stats like that, it's time for businesses, communities, government agencies and individuals to accept the challenge. So far, 105 people have taken the pledge - 24 of those individuals' business have also pledged their support.
Sign up here to take the challenge - Buckle up - Phone down. |
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Interstate 64 Poplar Street Bridge widening
This project in downtown St. Louis adds an eastbound lane to the
Poplar Street Bridge (PSB) over the Mississippi River, adds a second lane to the northbound Interstate-55 ramp and extends the 6th Street ramp into Illinois. Work will also overlay the eastbound lanes and repaint the bridge.
Here's what drivers heading from St. Louis to Illinois on I-64 or I-55 can expect this year:
- One lane closed around the clock eastbound across the bridge from May to August. Work will start in the left-most lane and move to the right.
- In August, the ramp from northbound I-55/eastbound I-44 to the eastbound PSB will close until December.
- While the ramp is closed, the two right lanes on the eastbound PSB will be closed for the overlay work. When the ramp opens to one lane in December, the far right lane on the eastbound PSB will remain closed until the ramp opens fully in March 2018.
To learn more about the project, visit the website -
Poplar Street Bridge.
As the project continues, detour maps and photos of the construction will be added to the website.
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New Chair, Vice Chair for Highways and Transportation Commission
Michael B. Pace (left), West Plains, is the new chair of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, and Gregg C. Smith (right), Clinton, is the new vice chair. The commission rotated the leadership positions at its monthly meeting yesterday in Jefferson City.
Pace and Smith were both appointed to the commission by former Gov. Jay Nixon - Pace in January 2015 and Smith in June 2013.
"I am very pleased to be nominated and elected chairman," Pace said. "I promise that I will do my very best to represent each and every one of you." He also offered his thanks to Smith. "He has given so much time in his role as chair for the past year, and has done an excellent job."
Pace is a retired brigadier general in the Army National Guard and also served nearly 33 years in the Missouri State Highway Patrol, achieving the rank of major. When he retired he was director of the criminal investigation bureau in Jefferson City. Smith is president and owner of Gregg Smith Ford Lincoln, Inc., and Wilder RV.
The six-member bipartisan commission governs the Missouri Department of Transportation, the agency responsible for designing, building, operating and maintaining the state highway system and supporting other transportation modes in Missouri.
Other commission members are Tom Waters, Orrick; Mary Nelson, St. Louis; and John Briscoe, New London. One position is currently vacant.
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MoDOT waives oversize travel time restrictions for wildfire disaster relief
 Wildfires in states west of Missouri are consuming large swaths of livestock pasture. As a result, livestock producers are in great need of animal feed. In order to streamline relief efforts, MoDOT, at the request of Gov. Eric Greitens and in consultation with the Missouri Department of Agriculture, is waiving travel time restrictions for those hauling oversize loads of hay in Missouri.
Oversize permits are required of loads exceeding 8'6" in width. Through April 8, 2017, permits for overwide loads of hay will:
- Be issued free of charge
- Be issued up to 12' wide (load length, height and weight must remain within legal limits)
- Allow travel during curfew hours and at night
These continuous movement oversize permits are only available to those hauling hay in direct response to disaster relief efforts.
Drivers must abide by all other permit regulations including the use of reflective oversize load signs and clearance lights instead of flags at the edges of loads when hauling at night or when visibility is less than 500 feet.
For assistance obtaining an oversize permit, carriers may contact MoDOT Motor Carrier Services at 1-800-877-8499 between 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
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Did you know...It's a common misconception that Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) drivers are usually responsible for crashes that involve a CMV. When analyzing, of the CMV driver involved fatal and serious injury crashes over the last three years, 55 percent of the other drivers involved (motor vehicle, pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.) were responsible for the crash!
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Statewide Fatality Totals
as reported on the
Missouri State Highway Patrol
website
as of March 12, 2017:
2017 Totals as of 3-12-17 - 137
2016 Totals as of 3-12-16 - 154
2015 Totals as of 3-12-15 - 133
2014 Totals as of 3-12-14 - 120
2013 Totals as of 3-12-13 - 100
2012 Totals as of 3-12-12 - 145
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Missouri Dept. of Transportation | (888) 275-6636
P.O. Box 270 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0270
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