Sept. 15, 2022

Today, MoDOT's Central Office and seven districts across the state held their annual Day of Remembrance ceremonies to recognize and honor MoDOT's 138 fallen workers. It marked the 10th ceremony for the statewide memorial at Central Office.

In addition to a gathering of employees at the Central Office Fallen Worker Memorial, the Central Office ceremony was also live-streamed on MoDOT's website in order to allow employees and family members to attend virtually.

Sadly, MoDOT must add two employees to the memorial this year - Maintenance Worker Kaitlyn Anderson and Senior Maintenance Worker James Brooks of the St. Louis District. Kaitlyn’s unborn son, Jaxx, was also lost.

Click the thumbnail above to view a recording of the 2022 Central Office Day of Remembrance ceremony.

For those who were unable to attend today's event, please take a few moments to remember those individuals who are no longer with us.

Four maintenance workers from the Bolivar facility in the Southwest District were recognized for saving the life of a motorcyclist.

On the morning of May 19, Senior Maintenance Worker Ron Butler was operating a tractor as part of a mowing operation on Missouri Route 215 in Polk County west of Pleasant Hope when he noticed a motorcycle at the bottom of a deep ditch near a concrete culvert.

He got out to investigate and found a man who appeared to be badly injured. After making sure the man was alive, Butler radioed Senior Maintenance Worker Joe Lightfoot, who was driving the nearby follow truck, to call 911.

Butler stayed with the man, talking to him and trying to keep him awake until paramedics arrived. In the meantime, Lightfoot noticed another MoDOT truck close by and radioed them to help set up traffic control ahead of first responders arriving.

Senior Maintenance Worker John Wilkinson and Intermediate Maintenance Worker Sam McCarty set up an emergency flagging operation, giving paramedics quick access to the scene and keeping traffic away from the location.

Left to right: Intermediate Maintenance Worker Sam McCarty, Senior Maintenance Worker John Wilkinson, Senior Maintenance Worker Ron Butler Jr., Southwest District Engineer Steve Campbell, Senior Maintenance Worker Joe Lightfoot and Assistant District Engineer Laurel McKean.

The four MoDOT employees later learned the victim had multiple broken bones, a punctured lung and his core body temperature had fallen into the 70s. The crash apparently happened during the rainy evening the day before he was found.

The Polk County 911 director thanked Butler, Lightfoot, Wilkinson and McCarty, telling them the victim would not have survived much longer and they likely saved his life.

All four were recognized by the Southwest District senior management team on August 30 with a Certificate of Appreciation.

The current ENGAGE 2.0 evaluation period is half over! As of Sept. 13, 18.9% of MoDOT employees have completed their evaluation response forms and 11.4% have provided upward feedback. The last day to complete your ENGAGE 2.0 evaluation and upward feedback is Sept. 30.

Supervisors - the ENGAGE 2.0 Resources page now has a link that will take you to the ENGAGE 2.0 evaluation login.

Please don't delay in completing evaluations and upward feedback. If issues arise, it is easier to resolve those early in the evaluation period. If you have any questions or difficulty logging on, contact the Office of Administration - Talent Management Help Desk at 573-526-4500 or [email protected].

Observations, near misses and good catches will now be reported in the Safety Management Module of the MoDOT Management System rather than at modotbbs.com. 

The goal of these reports is to systematically reduce incidents through identifying risks that lead to injury. These programs provide the eyes and ears to identify and fix issues before an incident occurs.  

• Observations are a planned review of an employee’s behavior, task and workplace conditions. A continuous loop of feedback allows employees and observers to constantly improve their safety.
• Near misses are an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness or damage but had the potential to do so. Somewhere in the chain of events leading to the near miss, we caught a lucky break.
• A good catch is when an employee recognizes an unsafe condition, action or defect and actively takes measures to prevent an event from occurring.

You are our most important asset. Safety is critical – it’s the most important aspect of any job we do. Together, we can create a safety culture that will reduce injuries and fatalities in our workplace. 

At its Sept. 7 meeting, the Missouri Highways & Transportation Commission heard presentations from the City of Springfield, Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Springfield Regional Airport and the Ozarks Transportation Organization regarding cooperation on local transportation projects. The Hands-Free coalition and AAA Missouri also presented on the need to pass hands-free legislation.

For the next legislative session, the Commission and MoDOT are focused on hands-free driving for all drivers. The existing Missouri law only restricts those age 21 and under. MoDOT staff will work with the Governor and Legislature to educate them on the need for this expanded legislation.

Director McKenna shared information on the record amount of active construction work right now, with more than 500 projects under contract statewide which are worth approximately $2 billion.

Four employees from the Southwest District were recognized on behalf of the team of employees who have worked on the I-49 Connector project. The project received a regional AASHTO award for the joint work between MoDOT and the Arkansas DOT.

Read the full meeting summary, which topics include: Director's Report, Consideration of Bids, Employee Development Programs at MoDOT, State of the Southwest District Update and MoDOT Proposed Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Request and Fiscal Year 2023 Supplemental Appropriations Request.

This week, Gov. Parson visited several road and bridge projects to show the importance of infrastructure to Missouri.

Gov. Parson visits the Southeast District. This event took place on Route 162 near Portageville, which is the site of three Focus on Bridge projects - two of which are completed. During this event, Gov. Parson and Missouri Highways & Transportation Commissioner Dustin Boatwright spoke about the importance of investing in infrastructure projects in rural areas and for underserved communities. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Missouri Governor.

Gov. Parson visits the St. Louis District. This event took place on the Interstate 270 project in St. Louis County. During this event, Gov. Parson and Missouri Highways & Transportation Commission Chairman Bob Brinkmann spoke about the importance of rebuilding this aging interstate and reinvesting in the community. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Missouri Governor.

The Kansas City district welcomed Gov. Mike Parson, Missouri Highways & Transportation Commissioner Gregg Smith, Director Patrick McKenna and other local leaders to Lee’s Summit on Sept. 8 for a ribbon cutting celebrating the newly completed U.S. Route 50 bridges over Chipman Road. 

Left to right: Director Patrick McKenna, Lee's Summit Mayor Bill Baird, MHTC Commissioner Gregg Smith, Gov. Parson and District Engineer Chris Redline.

The original structures at this intersection were nearly 50 years old and pre-dated many of the businesses and residents who used it. Over the decades, they became very important bridges to the city. Sitting in an area that continues to grow full of shops, apartments, restaurants and more, this intersection is one of the busiest in Lee’s Summit. The new bridges will help to safely connect and serve the growing community they reside in. This project also provides new critical connections for pedestrians, including the addition of sidewalks on both sides of Chipman Road.

These bridges are included in the Governor’s $351 million Focus on Bridges Program which will repair or replace 250 bridges across the state.

The mind and body are linked, but conversations about mental health can be tougher than discussing physical health. Studies show that about 75% of people with a mental health condition feel stigma even though many people experience some sort of mental health condition in their lives and likely have a loved one with an emotional or mental health condition.

What are mental health conditions?

They include event-specific issues that cause post-traumatic stress disorder, depression that is passed down from a parent to a child or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Mental health issues can happen once, many times or be ongoing.

Examples include:

• Depression.
• Anxiety.
• Substance use.
• Bipolar disorders.
• Psychotic disorders.
• Mood disorders.
• Personality disorders.

Signs to watch for:

• Sudden social issues.
• Problems at work or school.
• Changes in sleeping, eating or self-care.
• Excessive drinking or drug misuse.
• Mood changes.

How can I help myself?

A primary care doctor might be the right first step. They may refer you to a mental health specialist who will work with you on treatment plan.

There is no shame in taking care of yourself. The more you learn about your disorder, the more empowered you will feel.

Talking about mental health with compassion.

Remember, people generally don’t want a mental health condition any more than they want a physical one.

We often treat people with physical health issues as heroes. We use terms like brave and strong to describe their battle. People with mental health conditions are more likely to hear harmful terms like paranoid and delusional, and that they are suffering from their disorder.

People shouldn't be defined by their mental health condition. Instead, we should keep in mind that they have one. A person is not schizophrenic – they have schizophrenia. Just like a person has the flu – but is not a flu. Referring to people as an illness reduces their ability to see themselves as separate from it.

Southeast Missouri State University held Campus Safety Day on Sept. 7 to promote campus, personal and roadway safety, as well as disaster preparedness and crime prevention. The Southeast Coalition for Roadway Safety attended and sponsored UNITE’s Arrive Alive Tour for the event. 

During the event, more than 50 students, faculty and staff took the Buckle Up Phone Down Challenge and committed to making our roads a safer place.

UNITE’s Arrive Alive Tour uses a high-tech, state-of-the-art simulator that highlights the dangers of driving while distracted, drunk or drugged. One third of participants completed a survey at the end of their simulation experience. Survey results showed distracted driving is a very prevalent issue in the community, as 72.7% of survey respondents indicated they frequently or sometimes text and drive. After experiencing Arrive Alive, 100% of survey participants said they will never drive distracted or impaired - or will at least think twice before doing so and will warn others of the dangers of these behaviors.

The Southeast Coalition for Roadway Safety hosts a table at Campus Safety Day to promote the Buckle Up Phone Down initiative.

During an interview with KFVS12, Arrive Alive’s Casey Troyer explained he considers reaching even one person during the event a victory. Troyer shares a personal connection to roadway safety after losing his best friend to drinking and driving. 

Click here to learn more about the event.

The public was invited to an open house on Sept. 1 to view the four corridor alternatives that are currently being considered as part of the I-229 Moving Forward Environmental Assessment (EA).

Northwest District Engineer Marty Liles (center) speaks with a citizen at the I-229 EA open house. In the background, St. Joseph Director of Parks, Recreation and Civic Facilities Chuck Kempf discusses an alternative with Hg Consult Project Manager Steve Wells. Click the photo above to view additional photos from the event.

Approximately 75 people joined MoDOT Northwest District staff and the consultant team from Hg Consult, Inc. at the Remington Nature Center in St. Joseph for the open house, the third public meeting held as part of the EA process. Attendees were able to examine the four alternatives, ask questions of the engineers and consulting team and leave comments. St. Joseph Mayor John Josendale was also on hand to address attendees’ concerns regarding the impacts and involvement the city has had with the EA process.

Materials were available for attendees to take home to study and comment on later or to share with friends, neighbors and colleagues.

For those that couldn’t attend, a virtual public meeting site and opportunity to comment is available through Sept. 30 at I-229 Moving Forward webpage.

Darin Huitt - NW - 23

Francis Hollon - NW - 19

Larry Jacobson - NW - 30

Scott Stephens - NW - 22

Kirk Youngblood - NE - 20

Ronald Gassen - KC - 17

David Hemme - KC - 21

John Dietzel - CD - 31

Thomas McCloskey - SL - 36

Elmer Amos - SL - 26

Lovell Noblitt - SW - 28

Kevin Hageman - SW - 26

Loyd Wilson - SW - 22

Steven Hoernig - SE - 29

Stephen Atkisson - SE - 20

Todd Thieret - SE - 37

Daniel Fields - SE - 10

Shelly Lewis - CO - 28

Randy Hitt - CO - 32

Kenneth Barnett - CO - 31

Timothy Schroeder - CO - 28

Lisa McFadden - CO - 25

Lisa Vieth - CO - 28

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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