MoDOT urges safe driving for holiday weekend travel | |
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As Memorial Day approaches, MoDOT is urging drivers to be cautious and patient and use good judgment when traveling. Impaired driving, distracted driving, excessive speeds and not wearing seat belts are just a few of the concerns that can accompany the increased Memorial Day weekend traffic.
Last year, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 13 people were killed and 67 were seriously injured in crashes over Memorial Day weekend.
Along with increased summer traffic, there is also an increase in work zones. On any day in Missouri, there are more than 1,000 work zones for road and bridge construction or maintenance work. Stay informed of work zone locations and traffic delays with MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map.
Some of the major work zones with permanent lane closures will remain in place for the holiday weekend, including but not limited to:
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Northwest District
Interstate 29: Traffic currently reduced to one lane each direction under the Route 6/Frederick Boulevard Bridge.
Northeast District
Missouri Route 19 over I-70: Bridge replacement and interchange improvement project at New Florence with nighttime traffic impacts.
Kansas City District
U.S. Route 169, Buck O’Neil Bridge: The total closure of southbound U.S. 169 from the Charles Wheeler Downtown Airport to Fifth Street.
Central District
Interstate 44, Phelps County: Motorists may expect delays between Doolittle and Cuba as the roadway could be narrowed in either direction due to resurfacing, bridge rehabilitation, culvert extension and pavement reconstruction work.
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St. Louis District
Interstate 270 North, St. Louis County: Drivers will experience various daytime and nighttime lane and ramp closures for roadway improvements from McDonnell Blvd. to Bellefontaine Rd.
Southwest District
I-44/East Fork Niangua River and Sarah Branch: Drivers should watch for crews and equipment close to traffic near the bridges over the Niangua River and Sarah Branch east of Marshfield.
Southeast District
U.S. Route 67, St. Francois, Madison and Wayne Counties: Route will be reduced to one lane with a 16-foot width restriction as contractor crews perform guardrail work, pavement repairs and asphalt resurfacing from Missouri Route 221 at Farmington to County Road 303 in Wayne County.
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Remember: buckle up, put your phone down, stay alert and drive sober this weekend. | |
MoDOT Management System update | |
MoDOT Management System has implemented the ability for lead workers to select an open, pending or scheduled call report while reporting their location of work within the system.
This functionality is currently provided for the following activities:
- Signal.
- Lighting.
- Intelligent transportation system.
- Litter pick-up.
- Signing and pothole patching.
After selecting the location of work, lead personnel will have the ability to access any call report assigned to their Org and enter comments into the call report.
Questions? Contact the MMS team.
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Daughter presents Leadership Coin, award to father | |
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Last December, Central District Maintenance Superintendent Mike Belt received a Leadership Coin from his daughter, Central Office Senior Communications Specialist Bethany Belt, for his actions following a crash on U.S. Route 63.
Bethany Belt, after receiving the coin in September for streamlining the fall meeting process for district personnel, was looking for an opportunity to pass the coin to another deserving employee. On Dec. 9, she heard about her dad’s efforts to help a young driver who had run off the road that morning.
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Central District Maintenance Superintendent Mike Belt (right) is recognized by his daughter, Senior Communications Specialist Bethany Belt, for his actions after witnessing a crash. | |
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Mike Belt had witnessed a vehicle make a sudden turn off the road, then travel over an embankment and into the woods. There was no evidence the vehicle had left the road; it couldn’t be seen from the road, and no one else had been around to witness it. If Mike Belt hadn’t seen it happen, no one may have realized someone needed help. After safely pulling onto the shoulder, Mike Belt got to the vehicle and discovered a very shaken teenage girl at the wheel. She was not wearing a seat belt, but the air bags had deployed, and she was alert. He asked her, multiple times, if anyone else was with her and if she was hurt – she surprisingly had no visible injuries. He carefully helped her and kept her as calm as possible until paramedics arrived and until she was able to call her father. Mike Belt made sure the first thing she said to her dad was that she was okay.
“When Dad told me what happened, I was not surprised by his actions, but I was, and continue to be, proud to call him my dad,” said Bethany Belt. “I’m grateful that I get to look up to him both personally and professionally. The way he conducts himself – on and off the job – and the compassion he has for others, along with the passion he has for public service, are an inspiration to all of us.”
Mike Belt also recently received a Certificate of Appreciation from MoDOT leadership for his actions.
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month | |
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The Differences Between Mental Health And Behavioral Health
Everything from sleep to diet to exercise can affect your health. While we often consider the strength of our physical bodies, there’s another side of your well-being to consider – the way you think, feel and act. These relate to your behavioral and mental health.
While many people use the terms mental and behavioral health interchangeably, there are subtle distinctions that matter when it comes to diagnosing and treating psychological issues. There are even different approaches to managing problems related to behavioral health versus mental health.
Negative behaviors don’t always accompany these mental health conditions. Most everyone with depression, for example, experiences sleep issues. But not everyone develops a behavioral disorder. When a distinct, regular behavior that goes beyond the scope of a typical mental health condition begins to negatively affect someone, it becomes a disorder that typically requires more specific behavioral health treatment.
How To Talk About Mental Health With Compassion
It’s important to use care and show compassion when discussing mental health. Remember, people generally don’t want a mental health condition any more than they want a physical one. A person doesn’t choose depression, just like they don’t choose heart disease.
Think about labels. We often treat people with cancer or other physical health issues as heroes. We use terms like "brave" and "strong" to describe their battle with the disease. People with mental health conditions are more likely to hear harmful terms like "paranoid" and "delusional" and that they are "suffering from their disorder." This may make those with a mental health condition feel hopeless.
We shouldn’t define people by their mental health condition. Instead, we should keep in mind that they have one. For example, 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.
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Southwest crews make quick bridge repair | |
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On May 9, Southwest District Bridge Engineer Matt Geiger reported the failure of a finger joint on the northbound I-49 bridge over Indian Creek in McDonald County near Anderson.
After discussions on how to complete the repair, it was decided the safest and best way required closing both lanes of the interstate and detouring traffic along nearby Missouri Route 59.
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Members of the Southwest Regional Bridge Crew work to repair finger joint on northbound I-49/Indian Creek bridge in McDonald County. | |
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Initial estimates for repairing the bridge were that it could take up to two weeks.
The highway was closed the morning of May 10, and the Southwest Regional Bridge Crew, led by Bridge Maintenance Supervisor Jamie Sartin, immediately got to work.
Despite difficulties of making repairs on an interstate and persistent rainy weather, their work was finished by 1 p.m. on May 15, and all lanes of a busy interstate highway through the district reopened to traffic.
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Kansas City celebrates employees post-NFL Draft | |
In the Kansas City District, employees that helped prepare for the NFL Draft gathered for the "Thank You Celebration and BBQ" on May 11 at the Lee’s Summit Maintenance Building. This celebration included all aspects of the NFL Draft event, including folks on the Buck O’Neil Bridge project who have worked many months coordinating, maintenance/operations teams and volunteers who have been working hard since January, and Scout/Emergency Response for their planning and management of the event itself. | |
Kansas City District employees gather for the the "Thank You Celebration and BBQ" after helping prepare for the NFL Draft. | |
Kansas City District Engineer Chris Redline emphasizes the hard work employees put in preparing for the NFL Draft and thanks the team for their public service. | |
Tim Pickett
Southeast District Project Manager
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Project Manager Tim Pickett has been with MoDOT for 24 years, with most of his career spent in project development. He has been in his current role for the last six years. Pickett describes project management as being an adventure - and often what you thought you were going to work on that day usually turns out to be a little different.
From speaking with landowners to explain property impacts to completing media interviews about upcoming projects, communication plays a large role in Pickett’s workload. Behind the scenes, he works with construction as projects are being built, holds meetings with his colleagues to brainstorm and solve problems, prepares project schedules, updates estimates and completes invoicing for current projects. The day-to-day tasks of a project manager include communicating both externally and internally.
When asked about the best part of his job, Pickett said it's “the people that I meet along the way when working on a project. They usually have a connection to the area and tell me stories or a bit of history.”
Pickett explained this helps bring focus to the project and why we are doing it.
Being able to help fix problems for people and improve their daily lives is a highlight of his career.
“The big projects are exciting, but I’ve found some of the smaller ones in communities to be very impactful and helpful to folks,” Pickett said.
in his free time, Pickett likes to travel and spend time with his family. He and his wife recently took a trip to the Grand Canyon.
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Northwest District
Darrin Garrett 19
Kansas City District
John Casey 34
Central Office
John Donahue 24
Charles Wills 31
Martin Schwartz 5
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Central District
Daniel Goff 21
Forrest Long 30
St. Louis District
William Bernsen 22
Teri Feller 34
Cynthia Farrar 27
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Southwest District
Michael Johnson 13
Robert Lawrence 32
Tracy Brittain 22
Southeast District
Willie Jones 17
Randall Sutton 29
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The mission of Connections is to be a source of MoDOT news
and feature articles that connect employees statewide.
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Comments
What would you like to see in Connections?
We want to hear from you!
Send comments and suggestions to:
bethany.belt@modot.mo.gov
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MoDOT Communications
P.O. Box 270, Jefferson City, Mo 65102
573-751-2840 | www.modot.org
Editor: Sr. Communications Specialist Bethany Belt
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