MHTC announces Ed Hassinger as new MoDOT Director

Hassinger chosen based on his 40 years of success and transportation expertise

"It’s my great honor to serve as director and work with the Commission and Missouri’s key transportation stakeholders to ensure we stay on track and on schedule with the historic investment Missouri has made in our infrastructure."

Ed Hassinger

MoDOT Director

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission announced on Wednesday that Ed Hassinger has been selected as the new director of the Missouri Department of Transportation. His leadership will ensure the continuity of MoDOT’s delivery of critical infrastructure projects currently underway and on very tight construction schedules.

Director Hassinger holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering and is a Registered Professional Engineer. For over 40 years, he has consistently produced results that have made Missouri a national leader in project delivery, providing great value to Missourians. Hassinger is fully aware of what is necessary and is capable of delivering the projects outlined in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP). He is committed to partnering with the General Assembly and industry partners to improve Missouri’s transportation system. He is also committed to MoDOT employees, their development and welfare. Hassinger replaces previous MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna who resigned in September 2024 after serving in the director role since December 2015.

The Commission and Director Hassinger will work collaboratively with a new advisory council to be formed with representatives of the department’s key stakeholders including key elected officials, local planning partners, MoDOT's contractor community, state and local economic development teams, and others critical to delivering these transportation improvements. Efforts will focus on reviewing and fine-tuning MoDOT's organization to strengthen its commitment to several key areas of continuous improvement critical to project delivery success and operations.

These include:

Safety in all operations and project management
Outreach to and coordination with state leadership and elected officials to make the STIP process as locally driven as possible with sensitivity to timely local needs as they arise
Build an even closer partnership with the department's critical private sector contractor community and regional planning partners
Recruit and retain the essential and valued MoDOT workforce
Increase focus on operational needs to keep MoDOT's system maintained, useable, clean, and responsive to citizen-reported upkeep
Innovate and use technology for the future to maximize efficiency and cost-effective delivery of programs and services

For more information and to view the full news release announcing Hassinger's promotion, visit MoDOT's website. To view the recorded news conference announcement, please visit www.modot.org/MHTC/live.

Improve I-70 Program's second project awarded

MoDOT’s Statewide Improve I-70 Program celebrated another major milestone by awarding its second project between Warrenton and Wentzville. This $600 million Design-Build contract, the largest in MoDOT history, was awarded to the Improve 70 Alliance Joint Venture, which includes Emery Sapp & Sons, Clarkson Construction, HNTB, and Bartlett and West.

Crash Responder Safety Week runs Nov. 18-22

To help protect emergency responders, the Federal Highway Administration has declared Nov. 18-22 as National Crash Responder Safety Week. Crash Responder Safety Week provides a valuable chance to educate drivers on crash prevention, promote critical training for all traffic incident responders and remind everyone about Missouri's Move Over law. Learn more.

U.S. Route 54 has reopened in Jefferson City

Joint deterioration on both the west and eastbound bridges was more extensive than anticipated and required more work and time, but now U.S. Route 54 in Jefferson City and all associated ramps are fully open. Bridge rehabilitation work along this vital corridor began in mid-July and wrapped up Friday, Nov. 8, allowing traffic patterns to return to normal. Learn more.

Travel safely and have a happy Thanksgiving holiday

Express Lane will be taking a small hiatus for the Thanksgiving holiday, so we wanted to wish you all the best and let you know we'll be back Thursday, Dec. 12. In the meantime, travel safely and remember to use the Traveler Information Map before your trip. It's available as an app on Android and Apple devices, or through the internet browser on PC or mobile. Learn more.