June 22, 2023

New I-270 Chain of Rocks Bridge celebrated

On June 13, Director Patrick McKenna (pictured below, center) spoke about the I-270 Chain of Rocks bridge construction partnership with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, IDOT Secretary Omer Osman and other local elected officials.

Missouri Highways & Transportation Commissioner Bob Brinkmann and St. Louis District staff also were in attendance.

Construction began in fall 2022 to replace the 1966 Mississippi River Bridge. MoDOT is also rebuilding the I-270 and Riverview interchange as part of this joint project, with completion scheduled for late 2026.

MoDOT honors emergency response anniversaries

Last week, several anniversary events were held across the state to honor MoDOT's Emergency Response Teams and their partners.

The Kansas City District celebrated the combined 94 years of service between its Emergency Response Team (30 years), KDOT/KHP Motorist Assist (29 years), KC Scout (20 years) and Mid-America Regional Council's Operation Green Light program (15 years). The event brought together the four agencies and their local partners to celebrate milestones and the shared goal of keeping KC metro roadways safer. The event included a press conference featuring a speaker from each agency and an open house for law enforcement, city officials and others which included tours of the Kansas City Traffic Management Center (TMC), Operation Green Light and a demonstration of MoDOT’s JAWS innovation. Commissioner Erdman also spoke at the event, sharing his personal experiences involving MoDOT’s Emergency Response team and expressing his gratitude of having such a wonderful bi-state and multi-agency partnership keeping the traveling public safe.

Kansas City District's Emergency Response, KDOT/KHP Motorist Assist, KC Scout and Mid-America Regional Council's Operation Green Light teams.

The St. Louis District’s Emergency Response Team celebrated its 30th anniversary. Their crews work around the clock on nearly 225 miles of interstate or state roadways helping drivers with stalled vehicles, removing debris or responding to crashes or other incidents. They work in conjunction with the St. Louis TMC and Gateway Guide. With more than 1,100 cameras and a 24/7 customer service team, the St. Louis TMC helps coordinate emergency response efforts with the appropriate agencies or dispatches the appropriate MoDOT staff to respond to various roadway situations. Last year, St. Louis Emergency Response Team operators were dispatched to more than 26,000 incidents.

St. Louis District's Emergency Response Team operators.

The Southwest District celebrated 30 years of Traffic Incident Management, with the creation of the Motorist Assist program in 1993. The TMC of the Ozarks is jointly owned and operated by MoDOT and the City of Springfield. In 2022, Southwest District’s Emergency Response operators handled 3,260 incidents across the district, assisting stranded motorists and helping to get incidents cleared as quickly and safely as possible.

Southwest District Incident Management Coordinator Ben Arnall (left) speaks about Emergency Response. Attendees pictures (left to right) include Traffic Center Manager Marc Lewis, Commissioner Smith and City of Springfield's Traffic Technician Cory Phillips.

On May 31, MoDOT launched an Appreciation Ambassador Team, created by Transportation Planning Specialist Britni O’Connor to help strengthen the culture of recognition throughout the organization.

O’Connor represents MoDOT on the statewide MO Appreciation Ambassador Council, which stems from MO Appreciation – the result of a Leadership Academy capstone project that is designed by state team members, for state team members. Ambassadors are selected by department leadership to lead appreciation efforts for their agencies. 

The focus of MoDOT’s Appreciation Ambassador Team is to promote appreciation efforts that have the most impact to all MoDOT employees. 

At the team’s kick-off meeting, Chief Administrative Officer Lester Woods, Jr. shared opening remarks and thanked the team for taking on this additional responsibility. The team discussed ideas for executive leadership to promote during State Team Member Appreciation Month, which included:

• Leadership in Action Program – if you have a Leadership Coin, consider passing it on to someone who has shown exemplary public service. 
• Take an opportunity to spread positivity among sections, divisions and the entire organization. Stop by a different building from your own, send a thankful email or note, or simply tell someone thank you. Blank MoDOT thank-you notes are available through the Communications Division’s Print Shop.
• Take time to get to know your employees personally. Find out about their interests, hobbies, family and other things they enjoy to help build a personal connection.

State team members are encouraged to share ideas of meaningful forms of recognition with their department ambassador. Please reach out to any of MoDOT’s appreciation ambassadors to share what “appreciation” means to you. Each one of you, our employees, is MoDOT’s most valuable resource.

MoDOT, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF) have joined forces to control invasive, exotic and noxious weeds along the state’s roadways. 

“This partnership is important as some of the treated acres on MoDOT right of way are located adjacent to land managed by MDC, MPF, and many citizens, businesses, and communities across Missouri,” said Natalie Roark, state maintenance director. “Gaining control of invasive species benefits both departments, MPF, and the entire state.”

Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) spraying units have been a part of MoDOT’s herbicide application operations in some test regions in recent years. This spring, MoDOT is taking the new UTV spraying operation statewide to strategically target specific harmful vegetation while limiting collateral impact to desirable roadside vegetation. The new partnership includes funding, training and shared resources between the three organizations to support MoDOT’s crews applying the treatments.

“These operations are positive in that they not only remove vegetation that could continue to spread and replace beneficial plants, but they also encourage and bolster the vegetation that promotes a healthy environment for native insects and other forms of Missouri wildlife, as well as people,” said Angela Sokolowski, MDC invasive species ecologist.

Support vehicles will be working behind the UTVs to provide materials and a water source as well as back-up safety to the spraying crews. Typically, spraying operations should have little impact on traffic flow on state roadways as the work is done from the shoulder and side slopes of the roadside. Motorists are urged to use caution and slow down if they see an invasive species spraying operation at work. 

For more information on the plants categorized as invasive for Missouri by the MDC, please visit mdc.mo.gov/trees-plants/invasive-plants.

As a man, it’s important to take care of your body and mind — even if you feel healthy. Strength, vitality and good mental health often start with habits built today.

Get Regular Checkups

The risk of common health problems for men, such as diabetes, heart conditions, and certain cancers, increases with age.

• Schedule preventive checkups with your primary care doctor every year.
• Have routine cancer screenings and vaccines, as recommended by your doctor.
• Let your doctor know if any close family members have a history of prostate cancer or other health conditions, such as high cholesterol, diabetes or heart disease.
• Check preventive guidelines for your age.

Be Aware of Depression

While feeling low from time to time is normal, depression is a mental health condition that impacts how we feel, think and behave. Symptoms of depression in men include:

• Being angry, irritable or aggressive.
• Feeling anxious, restless, sad or dissatisfied.
• Loss of interest in work, family or hobbies.
• Suicidal thoughts or attempts.

Seek Support 

If you're feeling down, stressed, or overwhelmed:

• Talk to your doctor about ways to reduce stress or treatment options that are right for you.
• Reach out to loved ones.
• Spend time with people who are positive.
• Set realistic goals to avoid being overwhelmed or discouraged.
• Manage stress levels by spending time with friends, volunteering and exercising.

Help Your Body Stay Healthy

Choosing healthy foods helps ensure it works properly. It can also reduce your risk of high blood pressure, weight gain or obesity, heart attack, stroke, diabetes and cancer.

• Fit 30 minutes of physical activity into your everyday routine.
• Eat at least two cups of fruit and three cups of vegetables every day.
• Limit your alcohol intake to no more than two drinks a day.
• Limit calories from added sugar.
• Avoid processed foods.
• Avoid smoking or using tobacco.
• Try to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

If you need a primary care doctor, use Anthem’s Find Care & Cost feature to find one in your plan’s network near you.

What would normally be a simple hill alongside a highway in the St. Louis District has been transformed into something beautiful with flowers, vegetables and even bee pollinators. It isn’t often that the public might notice landscaping along an interstate, let alone a space that is being used as a “teaching garden” for elementary students from several schools in the city of St. Louis.  

This excess MoDOT land transformed into a green space is located on the south side embankment along Interstate 44 in the Shaw neighborhood of St. Louis City. The St. Louis District leased the right of way land to the Green House Venture, a nonprofit using educational teachings to show students from nearby charter, magnet, parochial and Christian schools about urban food production.  

This process first began in 2016. Green House Ventures calls the land The Embankment Greenway.

“The area is approximately three and a half acres - about half a city block,” said Tom Purcell, Green House Ventures president. “We submitted the plan to MoDOT to lease the property and worked on a strategic plan. There’s a terrace, a pollinator recovery habitat with a secure guardrail and we painted the curb along DeTonty Street green. Kids wear the bright colored yellow vests when they are exploring the greenway.” 

“For MoDOT, the question was how do you use right of way on an embankment?” said Tom Blair, MoDOT St. Louis District Engineer. “This is a win-win situation for both Green House Venture and the state of Missouri because with this parcel of land along MoDOT right of way, we don’t have to maintain the land, and in turn, children from the area can use the land to learn about agriculture and bioscience.” 

The eventual strategic plan calls for Green House Ventures to build a STEM educational center across the street from the educational garden to complete the Green House Venture campus.  

“MoDOT has been a great partner in this," said Purcell. “I think this is an idea that could be used around the state.”

The Northwest District’s Employee Advisory Extension Council (NWEAEC) hosted a pie-in-the-face event and a softball tournament to raise money for employees experiencing a hardship. The NWEAEC’s mission is to foster and enhance a positive work environment for all MoDOT employees and to assist management and employees with cultural diversity, policy review and communication issues. 

The NWEAEC brought back the popular pie-in-the-face fundraiser to this year’s spring meetings, raising $622.38. Employees placed money in jars for a chance to pie one of the district leaders who’d volunteered. 

The Northwest District also had a chance to get out of the office and into the dugout by playing in a softball tournament. Cameron and Lathrop participated in a best two out of three match, and Lathrop came out on top. Both teams helped raise an additional $350 for the NWEAEC.

Melanie Proffit, NWEAEC’s chair, described the NWEAEC as having remarkable membership with its 22 members.

“Our employee participation and membership are off the charts,” Proffit said. “Everybody participates and has feedback, and our meetings are so productive - it just blows me away.” Additionally, Proffit recognized the uniqueness of having leadership present during meetings and is grateful for the discussions that they are able to have with the members. 

Matt Sonner, district safety and health manager, after receiving a pie in the face. 

Cabby O’Neal, maintenance supervisor in King City, throws a pie in Maintenance Crew Leader Jeff Abplanalp’s face.

Money that the NWEAEC raises can be used for any employee who is experiencing a difficult time, such as personal or family medical emergencies, house fires, financial assistance during the holidays, etc. The NWEAEC is looking forward to continuing to bring back fundraisers from the past like the pie-in-the-face event and softball tournament to create fun opportunities for the district to raise money for the NWEAEC.

On June 15, Bring Your Child to Work Day took place at the Kansas City District Office. Participants had the opportunity to learn about various departments and engage in activities like participating in a safety race, building a bridge with marshmallows, creating an edible road, making homemade ice cream, creating a safety message with Scout and touring various maintenance trucks. Each child took home their own goodie bag and ended the day with pizza. 

June retirements

Northwest District

David Blundell 28

Lana Allen 26

Northeast District

Jacob Kerby 26

Orville Campbell 30

Central Office

Robert Bechel 31

Boyd Denson 28

Cindy Hall 31

Charles Hiebert 22

Central District

Gregory Clarkston 22

Charles Brandes 28

James Simmons 14

Southwest District

Michael McCormick 23

Southeast District

Douglas Clark 27

Gary Adams 23

Kerry Grogan 22

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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