New safety policy implemented | |
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A message from Director McKenna:
Safety is MoDOT’s core value, and it is every employee’s responsibility to keep themselves, their co-workers and the public safe. As a MoDOT employee, you have the right and responsibility to take immediate action to stop an unsafe practice.
I’m announcing the new Safety and Emergency Management Policy #0001, “Employee Safety Empowerment.” It gives you the right to take immediate action to stop work to address imminent dangers and/or unsafe practices. You are expected to immediately report any imminent danger and/or unsafe practices to your direct supervisor. You and your supervisor will discuss the stop work action and immediately call the new MoDOT safety line to discuss next steps with the Safety and Operations leadership.
In addition, effective July 1, the District Health and Safety Managers report directly to the Central Office Safety and Emergency Management section under the direction of the Chief Safety and Operations Officer. This reporting change will assist in the consistency of training, safety protocols, reviews and accountability.
Finally, our project development process needs to adjust and adapt by asking the right questions to integrate safety enhancements during the planning and development stages. We have developed a new tool named SAFER that incorporates the elements of the Safe System Approach. The SAFER tool will be developed further, shared with our partners for input and incorporated into our standards in project development as we strive for zero transportation network fatalities for Missouri.
We have an important job to do to build and maintain Missouri’s transportation system. But it must be done safely. The most important thing is for you to go home safe every day. We will not cut corners. Shortcuts lead to lives being cut short.
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Updates to per diems and mileage reimbursements | |
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Effective July 1, the in-state meal per diems and mileage reimbursement rates have increased for MoDOT employees.
The mileage reimbursement rates increased to $0.37 per mile for fleet rate and $0.55 per mile for standard rate.
The new per diem rates are as follows:
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| LOCATION | BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER | | Columbia | $10 | $12 | $23 | | Jefferson City | $10 | $12 | $23 | | Kansas City* | $12 | $14 | $27 | | Springfield | $10 | $12 | $23 | | St. Louis** | $12 | $14 | $27 | | Other | $10 | $12 | $23 | | |
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*Kansas City includes Jackson, Clay, Cass and Platte counties and contiguous Kansas counties.
**St. Louis includes the St. Louis District boundaries: the City of St. Louis and the counties of Franklin, Jefferson, St. Charles and St. Louis.
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MoDOT's Excellence in Action program | |
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MoDOT has always been and continues to be a leader in innovative projects and processes, winning numerous high-profile awards through the State of Missouri, AASHTO and additional associations.
MoDOT is a department full of great employees who are dedicated to the citizens of Missouri in safety, service and stability.
The Excellence in Action program was created to validate the department’s hard work and is a great way to recognize MoDOT team members.
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Click the button above to access MoDOT's awards webpage. | |
Last month, the five MoDOT employees who received awards from the Office of Administration in 2021 were recognized by Lt. Gov. Kehoe at a ceremony in Jefferson City. Details on their awards can be found in the July 22, Sept. 2, Sept. 30 and Dec. 23 editions of Connections from the 2021 archives. | |
Left to right: Southeast District Construction & Materials Engineer Jason Williams, Senior Organizational Performance Analyst Kate Bax, Communications Manager Taylor Brune, St. Louis Maintenance Supervisor Amir Ghaidi and Northwest Maintenance Crew Leader Jordan Delameter. | |
The list provided below highlights all Excellence in Action award competitions open this quarter. If you know of an outstanding project or team member, please consider using the button above to submit a nomination. Nominations should not be submitted directly to the awarding agency. | |
| AWARD | OPEN DATE | DUE DATE | DESCRIPTION | | State Team Member of the Month (April-June) | 1st (every month) | 15th (every month) | STOM Information | | |
Please contact Organizational Performance Analyst Kara LeCure in Transportation Planning for questions or help with nominations. | |
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At its July 6 meeting, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved the final Fiscal Year 2023-2027 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. It makes available $10 billion of federal and state revenues for all modes of transportation over the next five years, making it the state's largest program. This includes the $100 million from the Governor's Rural Route Program, which will address low-volume roads in FY2023.
Also at the meeting, Director McKenna shared the quick work of the MoDOT team following a crash that damaged a bridge column on Interstate 70 at High Hill in Montgomery County. On the evening of June 23, a tractor-trailer flipped on its side and slid into the bridge over I-70. Bridge maintenance crews quickly responded to inspect the bridge damage. The Northeast District then worked with a contractor to install falsework to support the bridge. Repairs to replace the center bridge support began July 5 and should be completed the week of July 11.
Read the full meeting summary, which topics include: Director's Report, Consideration of Bids, FY2023-2027 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, State of the Central District Update, Condition of State Bridges and Bridge Division, and Local Bridge Program.
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ShareLeave program critically low on hours | |
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MoDOT's ShareLeave program allows employees to help co-workers who have suffered a catastrophic or life-threatening illness or injury (personal or immediate family) and exhausted all their leave time, such as in this employee testimonial:
“In July of 2021, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia – a type of blood cancer that prohibited me from working. After my annual and sick leave were depleted, I was granted 500 additional hours through ShareLeave. I was out of work for nine consecutive months but never missed a paycheck. Through generous donations to the program, my family and I were able to avoid worrying about my income once my leave time had run out. ShareLeave is often forgotten about until a time of need, so we would like to thank the donors that contributed to help folks like us. You never know and certainly never expect to have to use this benefit, but if the time comes, ShareLeave is there to help supplement. I know it’s tough to donate time, but in tough times everyone asks what they can do to help, and this is an excellent opportunity to help fellow co-workers like myself.”
~ Southeast District Senior Bridge Maintenance Worker Zach Dobbs
ShareLeave hours are received as donations of annual leave or comp time as well as excess leave hours swept from balances during the leave sweep that normally occurs each October. MoDOT hasn’t had a leave sweep for the past three years. The ShareLeave balance is critically low!
Please consider donating a few hours to the ShareLeave program to help your co-workers during life's unexpected events: ShareLeave donation form. Thank you to those who have donated!
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Start colorectal cancer screenings at 45 | |
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The recommended age for receiving preventive screenings for colorectal cancer is 45 years old.
Colorectal cancer usually starts as a precancerous growth, called a polyp, inside the colon or rectum. Over time, some polyps may turn into cancer. Colon cancer doesn't usually cause symptoms early on, so you should have regular checkups.
If you are 45 or older, talk to your doctor about your risk factors for colon cancer and how often you should be screened.
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MoDOT represented in annual parade | |
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MoDOT was once again represented in the annual Red, White and Bloom Parade, held this year on July 3 in Jefferson City. MoDOT's wrapped BUPD van was piloted by Communications Specialist Cole Duenckel and was accompanied by volunteers from Central Office and Central District.
“Getting to see mid-Missouri celebrate our state and country while representing MoDOT was such a neat experience,” Duenckel said. “Our dog, Daisy, rode along and waved to the crowd as well.”
The parade is a part of Jefferson City’s annual Salute to America celebration of Independence Day.
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Various volunteers from Central Office and Central District along with their family members pose with MoDOT's wrapped BUPD van. | |
Signing ceremony held at Buck O'Neil Bridge | |
On June 30, many people involved with the Buck O’Neil Bridge construction signed the first river girder of the new structure. The video below shows highlights from the signing ceremony. | |
An intern's take on potential landslide site | |
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Northeast District Communications Intern Evan Schumann wrote the following piece after visiting the site of a potential landslide on Missouri Route 3 southwest of Moberly:
Sliding into Summer
by Evan Schumann
While not literally “sliding into summer,” perhaps I would have had a portion of Missouri Route 3 between U.S. Route 24 and Randolph County Route BB not been indefinitely closed since March 2021 due to a potential slide.
I was curious as to what the site actually looked like. Northeast District Design Intern Carson Wood and I took a trip to view the closure, and seeing the site in person certainly puts a different perspective on it. The erosion of the soil on the east side of the road is so severe that it has created a sheer drop-off, taking with it much of the edge of the road. The drop-off leads to rather a steep cliff into the bottom of a vast rock quarry. The view: breathtaking. The concern: blatantly evident. It is most certainly no wonder why the road has been indefinitely closed.
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Northeast District Design Intern Carson Wood stands at the drop-off of Missouri Route 3 where it is closed indefinitely due to a potential slide. | |
MoDOT consultant HNTB completed a study this past winter by monitoring the area, soil conditions and slopes, revealing a few possible solutions. Project Manager Brian Untiedt explained that the most viable option is to shift the road west 15 feet and lower it by 8 feet. Though there is still much to do, plans to move forward are underway with hopes to finalize design plans by winter 2022 and begin preliminary work in spring 2023. Until then, Route 3 will remain closed. So steer clear! | |
July service anniversaries | |
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40 Years
Robey Farr NE
Douglas Thomas CD
Kenneth Strube CD
30 Years
Deanna Culver NW
Mark Pfeffer SE
David Koenig CO
Kenneth Tuttle CO
Brian Reagan CO
25 Years
Steven Walkup NW
Kelvin Mack SL
James Eagles SW
Ronald Reynolds SE
Travis Stanback SE
20 Years
Richard Messner NW
Cory March NE
Darrell Hoyer SW
Michael Marion SW
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15 Years
Bradley Bowles NW
Kevin Sheldon NW
Gavin Poe NE
Melissa Neff KC
Jeffrey Caffey CD
Jeffery Phipps SW
Craig Schindler SE
Leroy Devonshire SE
Mark Nichols SE
Sheree Faenger SE
Troy Cagle SE
Paula Wilbers CO
Randy Pringer CO
10 Years
Jerry Cook NW
Shawn Armstrong, Jr. NW
Jason Bonner SW
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5 Years
Caleb Hibner NW
Carrie Adams NW
Kevin Walker NW
Wesley Hunter NW
Larry Hunter KC
Steven Sandifer KC
Heather Parks CD
Christopher Colbert SL
Melvin Dukes SL
Jennifer Baldwin SW
Klayton Fees SW
Keith Allen SE
Benjamin Smith CO
Jason Cornelison CO
Jean Nougues CO
Heath Rose CO
Robert Snyder CO
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The following retirees passed away:
Deborah K. Hackmann
SL – June 2
Melvin T. Lock
D5 – June 2
Loren D. Steenbergen
CO – June 6
Marion Jones
D6 – June 10
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Ronnie L. Riley
D10 – June 13
Ronald V. Evans
D8 – June 13
Tome F. Bridgewater
D7 – June 17
John E. Sweet
CD – June 20
Donald Belcher
D1 – June 22
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Larry L. Vance
D1 – June 12
Larry E. Whitmore
D4 – June 19
Frank C. Perch
D7 – June 25
Roger C. Sweiger
D1 – June 27
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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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