Nov. 10, 2022

The ongoing drought in Missouri and high winds the weekend of Oct. 22 created ripe conditions to spark wildfires. Throughout the weekend, nearby fires resulted in full closures on Interstate 70 at Rocheport and Interstate 470 in Kansas City.

On Oct. 22, MoDOT crews in Boonville and Columbia were called to assist with closing I-70 from just west of Columbia to Boonville. Fires in the town of Wooldridge, just south of I-70 in Cooper County, as well as in the Overton Bottoms flat area along the Missouri River were creating smoke that reduced visibility on the interstate.

Gov. Mike Parson with MoDOT team members from Boonville and Columbia.

Maintenance crews worked with the Missouri State Highway Patrol to close the interstate. Communications staff used the Traveler Information Map, MoDOT's social media platforms and changeable message boards to communicate to the public throughout the event. MoDOT staff were also present at the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency to support the operation. Crews were able to reopen the interstate a little over two hours after initiating the closure.

On Oct. 23 a mulch fire at a recycling facility in southwest Kansas City closed Interstate 470 for several hours. The fire began on the southside of I-470, and northern wind gusts pushed flames across the highway. A total of nine Kansas City District employees from Emergency Response and the Lee’s Summit and Harrisonville Maintenance buildings assisted 13 other agencies to share information, safely close the highway and detour traffic.

On Oct. 26, Gov. Mike Parson visited the town of Wooldridge, which lost half of the structures in the town. He thanked the first responders, including the MoDOT team from Boonville and Columbia, who assisted with the fire response.

State Construction & Materials Engineer Brandi Baldwin.

Congratulations to Brandi Baldwin, who has been named MoDOT's new state construction and materials engineer!

Baldwin is a graduate of the University of Missouri and a state-certified licensed professional engineer. She has worked in MoDOT’s Northeast District, Central Office and Central District. She will take on her new responsibilities effective immediately.

Since 2019, Baldwin has served as the project director responsible for delivering the design-build project for the new Missouri River bridge on Interstate 70 at Rocheport.

“Brandi has 17 years of experience in progressive construction, utilities and design-build work with the department,” said Assistant Chief Engineer Eric Schroeter. “We know she will bring the same level of excellence in her new statewide role as she has demonstrated in her other positions at MoDOT.”

As state construction and materials engineer, Baldwin will work within the directive outlined by the 2023-2027 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program to deliver efficient and innovative transportation projects with quality inspection and testing to ensure the best use of taxpayer’s dollars. Of the $10 billion in federal and state revenues budgeted in the five-year STIP, the plan details $7.69 billion in road and bridge construction contractor awards, averaging approximately $1.5 billion per year.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to build upon the strong foundation of the Construction and Materials Division by harnessing the successes of the past to move MoDOT into the future,” Baldwin said. “My focus will be on safely and efficiently delivering this largest program of projects in MoDOT’s history.”

Transportation System Analysis Coordinator Jay Whaley.

Transportation System Analysis Coordinator Jay Whaley was presented the AASHTO President's Transportation Award in the Environment & Planning category. This award honors individuals and teams who have had success in implementing a robust planning process within their agencies that is multimodal, multidisciplinary, innovative and consensus-oriented while also promoting environmental stewardship.

Whaley brought his knowledge and experience in compiling and reporting data to generate a single annual report that allows MoDOT to prioritize projects throughout the state, providing the traveling public with the best value for their tax dollars.

Central Office reviews districts' asset management plans and compiles them to ensure that there is consistency across the state and that projects are in line with MoDOT’s asset management philosophy. The department needed a simple way to show that the projects moving into the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program were the same as those included in the asset management plans.

Traditionally, MoDOT shared this data with management by creating maps and reports that showed the condition of roads and bridges around the state. However, these were not always intuitive and didn't always show the entire picture. Whaley was able to take this complex information and put together a one-page report that allows management to see where money is being spent and where MoDOT has more work to do.

Deputy Director/Chief Engineer Ed Hassinger speaks at the 2022 Veterans Ceremony at Central Office.

Each year, one day is set aside to honor the courage and patriotism of our veterans. Today, Central Office and MoDOT districts across the state celebrated Veterans Day with various ceremonies recognizing their veteran or active duty employees.

Central Office veterans were presented with a personalized certificate as well as a MoDOT coin engraved with the phrase "Honoring Our Veterans," which was designed by the Kansas City District.

Attendees of the Central Office ceremony were also honored with a visit from Col. (Ret) Paul Kirchhoff, executive director of the Missouri Veterans Commission, who spoke at the event.

The Central Office veterans honored were:

• Evan Adrian - U.S. Marine Corps, 5 years
• Patricia Barnes - U.S. Air Force, 10 years
• Chelsie Bartley - U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard, 3 years active and 6 years guard
• Destiny Blume - U.S. Army, 12.5 years
• Travis Ellis - U.S. Army National Guard, 8 years
• Brent Hay - U.S. Army National Guard, 12 years
• Matthew Kiefer - U.S. Army National Guard, 12 years
• Michael Larimore - U.S. Air Force, 35 years
• Brandon Oaks - U.S. Army, 4 years
• Andrew Ragsdale - U.S. Army Reserve, 7 years
• William Riester - U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 3 years
• Jason Smallfield - U.S. Army Active, 34 years and 9 months
• Brady Smith - U.S. Coast Guard, 5 years
• Joanne Sterman - U.S. Navy and Navy Reserve, 4 years and 2 years respectively

The VETS employee resource group would also like to share this special message to all MoDOT veteran and active duty employees:

Thank you for your service to our country and for your continued service to the people of the state of Missouri. The knowledge, skill and perseverance you bring to the team day 

in and day out is priceless. Your quiet leadership inspires us, and your dedication - day in and and day out - helps motivate us to do more, every day, than we believe possible. For Veterans Day, we would like to share this information on events around the state for veterans as well as those that celebrate veterans: Events - Veterans Benefits Portal and Veterans Day Events.

Thank you again to all of our veterans and their families for their service and sacrifices.

View MoDOT's virtual Veterans Day event video here.

Last week, Gov. Mike Parson issued Governor's Executive Order 22-06 (mo.gov) to all state departments and agencies, including MoDOT. The Executive Order advises that state offices will be closed on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, which is the day after Thanksgiving Day. 

"The First Lady and I are so appreciative of the work our state team members do day in and day out to serve the people of Missouri," said Parson. "And we hope this well-earned day off allows you an opportunity to remember the good in your lives and reflect on all that you do in service to our state. This Thanksgiving holiday, we are giving thanks for all we have been blessed with, and we are so thankful for all of you . . . May you and your families have a safe and joyful holiday and receive many blessings in the coming year."

The Professional Development Institute is open for enrollment through Nov. 30!

PDI is a voluntary, self-paced development program designed to help professional-level employees to be well-rounded and have a greater organizational awareness.  

There are currently 51 participants enrolled in PDI. The program aims to enhance professional-level employees’ business, interpersonal and professional skills. Interested employees can enroll (with their supervisor’s approval) through the end of the month.

For more information about the program, visit the PDI SharePoint page. 

Questions? Contact PDI administrator Tyler Kirchner at [email protected]. 

While relationships with friends and family are often the focus of the holiday season, employees are also encouraged to focus on the connections they make in the workplace. Understanding the importance of building relationships in the workplace can help advance your career and make work more enjoyable.

Below are a few of the MOLearning courses currently available:

• Building Relationships While Working from Home
• Using Authenticity to Build Productive Relationships
• Leading through Relationships
• Building Professional Relationships

Questions? Contact your local Human Resources representative.

For this year’s Missouri State Employee Charitable Campaign fundraising efforts, the Information Systems Division voted to support The Central Missouri Foster Care & Adoption Association. The division's MSECC coordinators, Senior Information Systems Technologist Beth Borgmeyer and Information Systems Technologist Sara Skelton, nominated the IS management team for a friendly pie-in-the-face contest. 

Alliances were drawn and targets identified. Ultimately, Information Systems Supervisor Norma Schulte raised $283 to receive the pie. A silent auction was then held to place the pie in her face, with an undisclosed donor sending the honors to a member of Norma’s staff, Senior Information Systems Technologist Andy Howard. 

Knowing the magnitude of the situation, a special pie was created to ensure proper coverage of the entire face and surrounding surfaces.

Information Systems Supervisor Norma Schulte receives a pie in the face for charity.

“Taking one for the team has never been this much fun,” said Schulte. “I’ve had a lot of things thrown at me during my 23+ years at MoDOT, but this pie topped it all because it was for such a worthy cause. Thanks to the amazing IS team for all their contributions!”

Between the pie-in-the-face contest, chili/soup cookoff and the nacho bar, IS was able to raise $947 for CMFCAA and Coyote Hill. 

View the full event here.

At its Nov. 2 meeting, the Missouri Highways & Transportation Commission heard public presentations from several groups. A delegation from Cape Girardeau, including the mayor, chamber of commerce, metropolitan planning organization and the airport, shared information on the region’s growth and goals for the future. The City of Perryville discussed transportation needs in their area and thanked the commission for the cooperation on the Chester Bridge and support from MoDOT’s Aviation Section for their airport. The Interstate 57/US Highway 67 Coalition gave an update on projects and partnerships, including the recent groundbreaking for a four-mile project in Poplar Bluff. The City of Sikeston provided additional information on I-57 as well as other information about their community.

Director McKenna reported on MoDOT's sixth annual BUPD Day and that more than 20,000 Missouri individuals and businesses have accepted the BUPD pledge. He also thanked the crews who responded to the wildfires along I-70 and shared his appreciation for all MoDOT staff who answer the call day and night, seven days a week, to keep Missouri citizens safe. Lastly, McKenna reported on MoDOT's annual winter operations training drill, emphasizing that MoDOT is currently down 1,000 employees. If a widespread winter storm lasts more than one 12-hour shift, there are not enough employees to fill all available snow plows on the second shift.

Read the full meeting summary, which topics include: Director's Report; Consideration of Bids; Resolution Authorizing the Offer for Sale of Third Lien State Road Bonds, Series A 2022; Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Including Independent Audit Report and State of the Southeast District Update.

Changing the way you think can help you put a more positive spin on what happens in your life. This makes you more productive overall.

• If you are depressed or anxious, think of the opposite. Instead of dwelling on the worst-case scenario, imagine the most unlikely best-case outcome.
• Pick an area in which you are having trouble, and then create or invent new memorable or extremely favorable options to deal with that situation.
• If your confidence and self-esteem are low, imagine scenes in which your confidence is increased.
• Negative thoughts maintain their power unless neutralized by stronger, positive thoughts. With practice, eventually the positive thought will grow and associate with other positive thoughts.
• When you cannot do anything to change a situation, work toward acceptance. Use thoughts like, “I don’t really need it.”

Keep a list of your most common negative thought habits and a list of positive alternatives for each. Refer to this list whenever negative thoughts arise until you can substitute helpful alternatives from memory or immediately make up new thought alternatives to counter the negative thoughts.

Repeat your affirmations when you are engaged in activities that do not require your full attention, such as:

• Walking.
• Cooking.
• Cleaning.

Little kids like big trucks, and on Oct. 28, Southwest District maintenance workers used some big trucks to teach students at Springfield’s Fremont Elementary School something about what MoDOT does.

It was part of the school’s annual Transportation Day, where various agencies and organizations go to the school to talk to the students about how large vehicles and the people who use them help their community.

Springfield Maintenance Supervisor Matt Ilgenfritz, Striping/Signing Supervisor Scott Austin and Striping/Signing Crew Leader Kevin Keller met with about 450 students and showed them how MoDOT works on striping and signing highways. They also talked to them about how MoDOT keeps workers and drivers safe in work zones using truck-mounted attenuators.

Students also received safety-themed coloring books and Buckle Up Phone Down bracelets.

Fremont Elementary School students in Springfield listen to (left to right in the center of the photo) Striping/Signing Supervisor Scott Austin, Striping/Signing Crew Leader Kevin Keller and Maintenance Supervisor Matt Ilgenfritz talk about what they do at MoDOT as part of the school’s annual Transportation Day.

This photo features the Kansas City District office and garage in 1925. Also featured in this photo is Missouri Highway 40 westbound headed toward what would become 31st street in downtown Kansas City. These buildings would be home to the Kansas City District until 1999-2000, when the office and facilities building were relocated and dedicated at their current home in Lee’s Summit.

With the weather cooling down, Adopt-A-Highway groups have been making Missouri’s highways beautiful again by picking up trash in southeast Missouri. Century Cares and Rotary Club of Southeast Missouri Service collected a total of 38 bags of trash along their designated routes in the last month. 

Rotary Club of Southeast Missouri Service collected 15 bags of trash during their November cleanup.

Century Cares collected 23 bags of trash during their October cleanup.

Thursday, November 3, was the U.S. Highway 61 and Missouri Route 47 interchange public meeting in Troy. There were 71 members of the public in attendance. This will be the first diverging diamond interchange in the Northeast District. Construction of the DDI is expected to begin in the summer of 2024. Pictured is Transportations Project Manager Christopher Knapp.

Oct. 21 was Buckle Up Phone Down Day! The Northeast District brought awareness through local schools, police departments and various businesses utilizing educational items, creating PSA style videos and showcasing BUPD signs. A maintenance scavenger hunt also took place to allow maintenance members the opportunity to win a BUPD t-shirt.

30 Years

Garrett Gillespie NW

Samuel Kemp NE

Eric Mothersbaugh KC

Forrest Long CD

Karyn Veltrop CD

Richard Campbell, Sr. SL

25 Years

Matthew Sonner CO

Jerad Noland NE

James Barnes SE

20 Years

Scott Teter NE

Lucas Dobbs SW

20 Years Cont.

Cory Gray SE

Adam Zentz CO

Cheryl Boessen CO

Jerica Holtsclaw CO

15 Years

Leslie Thrasher NE

James Kavanaugh KC

JoAnn MacKay KC

Randall Edgar SL

Mariano Monsalvo SW

10 Years

Timothy Trabue CD

Eli Henderson SE

5 Years

Brant Pulliam NW

Jesse Stricker NW

Jordan Diggs NW

Brian Schyvinck KC

Christopher Stoddard KC

Courtney Thompson CO

Glenn McMillian KC

Horace Wiggins III KC

Joseph Reed SL

Bethany Evers CO

Michael Yoder CO

Randi Gordon CO

Shawn Williams CO

Taylor Brune CO

The following active employee passed away:

Duston W. Wilson

NE - Oct. 9

The following retirees passed away:

Cathy V. Morrison

CO - Nov. 3

Kenneth E. Fryer

CO – Oct. 22

Donald D. Shelden

CO – Nov. 2

Frederick E. Trippensee

CO – Oct. 11

Robert L. Hughson, Jr.

NW – Oct. 19

Robert L. Kalkofen

NE – Oct. 14

Elmer R. Prebe

NE – Nov. 3

Raymond V. Wells, Jr.

NE – Nov. 3

Clarence H. Overholtzer

KC – Oct. 11

Jim Barlow

CD – Oct. 21

Betty L. Howell

SL – Oct. 8

J. O. Buxton

SW – Oct. 17

Herman Evans

SW – Oct. 24

Robert C. Ginder

SW – Oct. 20

Kenneth L. Jones

SW – Nov. 3

David L. Morris

SW – Oct. 29

Ronnie L. Crawford

SE – Oct. 15

Wilma L. Duniphan

SE – Nov. 1

Forrest W. Eads, Jr.

SE – Oct. 15

The mission of Connections is to be a source of MoDOT news

and feature articles that connect employees statewide.

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Editor: Sr. Communications Specialist Bethany Belt

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