Traffic Ahead? What’s Happening?
MODOT says: Dial 5-1-1 on your mobile phone!
If 5-1-1 isn’t available from your carrier, please dial 877-478-5511 (877-4STL-511).
What a great service they are providing, giving you a heads up to choose another route!
Try it, you’ll like it!
MODOT and the New Mississippi Bridge
There’s a new bridge in the works for the St. Louis area! Of course MODOT was working on this project for some time, but we now can take a peek at what it will look like and the path it will take.
It’ll be built just to the North of the Martin Luther King bridge. It’s sorely needed as traffic increases and existing bridges age. Construction is predicted to begin in 2010 and will take about 4-6 years to complete. The New Mississippi Bridge has a contemporary look about it. Check it out!
Seniors and Driving Safety Training…Get Ready!
Have you heard? MoDOT, along with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the American Society on Aging, is encouraging older drivers to use alternative transportation when they must limit or stop driving. Sounds good to me, and they are looking for ways to help seniors drive longer with some training and learning techniques. With that in mind, they are instituting 5 core programs in 5 cities in Missouri, one of which is the St. Louis area. Other Missouri cities include: Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Kansas City, and Springfield.
They (MoDOT) say that older drivers were involved in 15 percent of the fatal traffic crashes and 12 percent of the crashes involving a serious injury in the last 3 years. As people age, vision can change, limited mobility, slower reflexes, delayed reaction time, drowsiness, and trouble judging distances and speed all can become issues. Growing older doesn’t HAVE to mean giving up driving but we all need to be sensitive to these changes. Physicians need to be pro-active in their observances of problems stated above.
MoDot will work with NHTSA, ASA and community coordinators in each of the cities to stage training and outreach efforts on the programs. For a description of the programs click HERE. Time to take a refresher class?
MoDOT Goes ORANGE For Safety: New laws with BIG Penalties!
St. Louis District
Prepared by Kara Price at 314-34-4160
March 28, 2007
MoDOT Turns Missouri Orange for Work Zone Safety Awareness 2007 Marks Another Big Year for Construction
This construction season, the Missouri Department of Transportation is turning the state orange! Some MoDOT buildings and landmarks throughout the state will be lit orange from April 1-7 in recognition of National Work Zone Awareness Week, which marks the start of another big season of highway construction.
MoDOT’s Traffic Management Center will be lit orange on the front and the back of the building as well as its sign at the entrance of the TMC. A banner that says, "Work Zone Safety Awareness: Drive Smart to Arrive Alive" will also be displayed on the front of the TMC to show motorists why MoDOT has lit this building orange.
Corporations, organizations and landmarks within the St. Louis area are supporting MoDOT’s Work Zone Safety message of "Drive Smart in Work Zones to Arrive Alive." Some are lighting their buildings or landmarks orange while some are placing messages on their building and website to show the public the importance of work zone safety. The local supporters include:
-St. Louis Cardinals will post Work Zone Safety messages on Busch Stadium’s outside and inside message boards from April 1 to 7. -Maritz will place a huge banner along the south side of its Distribution Center for the month of April as well as place Work Zone Safety messages on its website.-Science Center will light the Planetarium orange from April 1-7 and place Work Zone Safety messages on its website. The Science Center is also putting up displays on the inside of its overpass to inform visitors why the Planetarium is lit orange and to explain the importance of Work Zone Safety.-Six Flags will shine an orange glow onto its marquee and its well-known Colossus (large Ferris wheel), which can be seen as motorists drive on I-44.
MoDOT and the Associated General Contractors of St. Louis are holding a kickoff event in observance of Work Zone Safety Day at 10 a.m. Monday, April 2, 2007 at the work zone of Olive Boulevard and I-170.
With the successful completion of the Smooth Roads Initiative that brought 2,200 highway miles up to good condition, MoDOT is now improving 5,600 miles of roadways over the next five years. The improvements will bring 85 percent of Missouri’s major highways up to good condition by 2011.
"The Smooth Roads Initiative was such a successful program and made a noticeable difference in the look and feel of our roadways," said Don Hillis, MoDOT director of System Management. "Although it will be a tough act to follow, we are excited about our new Better Roads, Brighter Future project. The successful completion of the project has the potential to prevent 85 injuries a year, save 10 lives a year, support more than 48,000 jobs, save $100 million a year in fuel costs and create more attractive places for businesses to locate."
The 2007 construction season will be the first with Missouri’s new work zone law that passed in August 2006. The law means big penalties for reckless drivers - injuring or killing a highway worker could cost $10,000, as well as losing your license for a year and/or jail time. New work zone signs reflecting the penalties can be found all over the state. The new law also strengthened several other provisions. More information about the newest laws can be found at http://www.modot.org/.
"We’re constantly making our work zones safer and smarter with new technology and brighter signs to help prepare drivers for what’s ahead," Hillis said. "We now have the tools to alert motorists about construction zones ahead of time."
But with 1,000 work zones this year, there will be some delays, frustrations and opportunities for drivers to be distracted. "We ask motorists to be patient with us and remember to always buckle up and Drive Smart," Hillis said.
Four MoDOT employees were killed last year in the line of duty. This year one of the messages in MoDOT’s work zone awareness campaign features Ken Hoierman, a worker who was tragically killed in August of 2006 in a work zone. The message urges drivers to Watch Out for Us. A statewide construction map can also be found on MoDOT’s Web site at http://www.modot.org/ and a memorial page for those killed at www.modot.org/workzones/inmemory.htm.
According to Missouri statistics, most work zone crashes are caused by inattention, excessive speed and following too closely. Motorists are the ones most likely to be killed or injured in a work-zone crash. In 2006, 20 people were killed and 1,197 injured in work zones.
"In the grand scheme of things, a few minutes of inconvenience means years of smoother, safer driving," Hillis said. "We’re doing our part to keep you moving through Missouri, but the difference is you. Drive Smart and Arrive Alive."
For more information about construction projects and work zones statewide, visit http://www.modot.org/ or call 1-888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636).
Dougherty Ferry Bridge Project Starts Memorial Day! Ramps Close!
St. Louis District
Prepared by Drew Gates, 314-340-4161
March 27, 2007
MoDOT starts Dougherty Ferry Bridge replacement project Bridge over I-270, ramps will close from Memorial Day to Labor Day
ST. LOUIS - The Missouri Department of Transportation, and its contractor, Kozeny-Wagner, Inc., will start preparatory work around the Dougherty Ferry Bridge over I-270, starting Thursday, March 29. Crews will begin mobilizing equipment and begin paving and excavating operations.
During construction, crews will close the bridge over I-270 and the ramps from I-270 to Dougherty Ferry shortly after Memorial Day (May 28) for safety and to complete the job quickly. The bridge and interchange are scheduled to re-open no later than Labor Day weekend (Sept. 3). The work will involve occasional nighttime or weekend lane closures on I-270. Shortly after Memorial Day - depending on weather - the contractor will close I-270 to demolish the bridge; they will route interstate traffic over the entrance and exit ramps to either side of the interstate highway. Further details will be released as those dates draw closer.
This $6.1 million project will widen the bridge from four lanes to seven lanes, including two through lanes and two left turn lanes on westbound Dougherty Ferry as well as one through lane and two left turn lanes on eastbound Dougherty Ferry. It will also add an additional left turn lane from northbound I-270 to westbound Dougherty Ferry and an additional right turn lane from northbound I-270 to westbound Dougherty Ferry. Finally, the project will add an additional lane on westbound Dougherty Ferry between I-270 and Des Peres Road.
Motorists may experience delays during this work and are encouraged to use alternate routes. Plan ahead — for ways to avoid work zones, call 1-888-ASK-MODOT or visit our website at www.modot.org.
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Links to related information:
Dougherty Ferry Bridge Replacement Project To view information aboutMoDOT visit http://www.modot.orgTo change or delete your subscription information visit http://www.modot.org/eMoDOTTo view MoDOTs privacy policy view http://www.modot.org/general/privacy.htm
This Just In…From MoDOT re: Repairwork/Lane Closures
January 29, 2007 St. Louis District
MoDOT closes lane of Westbound Route 40 for repair work. Work will require lane closure Tuesday, January 30th starting at 6:30 a.m.
ST. LOUIS -Maintenance crews will close the right lane of westbound Route 40 at Lake St. Louis at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2007, for repair work to a guardrail damaged by a tractor-trailer accident. Crews will reopen the lane as soon as is safely possible after work is completed.
This closure and work is dependent upon weather conditions. If construction work is postponed, MoDOT will release updated information as quickly as possible.
Motorists may experience delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes. Plan ahead — for ways to avoid work zones, call 1-888-ASK-MODOT or visit our website at www.modot.org.
Prepared by Drew Gates, 314-340-4161
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