Around the District

Construction projects abound through District 4 this summer. It is the busiest construction season District 4 has ever had! Every county has projects in process. Review some of the most current projects for your county that are under construction. 

Construction program approved for next five years

With the bulk of projects the first year, construction for the next five years will continue to consistently decrease. In fact, by 2011, transportation funding drops by more than half. 

The surge of projects in 2009 is in a large part to the funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Those dollars were used to finish or enhance projects that were already in the works.

"While very much welcomed and needed, the recovery act funding we received is not a silver bullet," said MoDOT Director Pete Rahn.  "It has helped delay our grim transportation situation, but without additional funding for future transportation projects, our roads and bridges will once again begin to deteriorate."

The construction program for fiscal year 2010 totals $1.3 billion.  In fiscal year 2011, the program drops to just $652 million and by fiscal year 2014, only $421 million will be available for transportation projects. This is less than the state spends now on maintaining the transportation system in Missouri. Without more funding, Missourians will see very few new projects to expand the system to make it safer after 2011.

For the complete list of transportation projects, review the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.

ARRA funds build new roads, bridges and bike paths for Missouri

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is taking the U.S. transportation system to the next level -- and while creating jobs and economic growth.

To date, Missouri has awarded more than $270 million of the $525 million in projects. In District 4, there are 17 projects that total mroe than $98 million in highway and bridge projects.

One of those upcoming ARRA projects includes the addition of bicycle and pedestrian lanes across the Heart of America Bridge.The bridge was already scheduled for regular maintenance and rehabilitation, but thanks to an additional $4,545,000 from ARRA, the pedestrian and bike lanes are now part of the plans.

Additional projects under the ARRA umbrella include:

• Add a new half diamond interchange at Route 40/I-435.
• Replace Blue Ridge Cut-off bridge over I-70.
• Add lanes to I-70 and modify some ramps.
• Route 150 will widen from two lanes to four lanes from Horridge Road to Route 291.
• Route 50 will host a complete diamond interchange at Bynum Rd.

For more information on the Heart of America Bridge project, or any ARRA-funded projects, visit www.modot.gov/kansascity.

Route 71 Improvements Continues

Over the next year, projects to reconstruct two Route 71 interchanges and complete a new interchange two miles south of route 58 will slow traffic for more than the 80,000 motorists who drive it daily. When construction concludes by late 2010, traffic will flow smoothly through this major Kansas City area corridor.

This month, ramps from southbound Route 71 to 163rd Street will close for reconstruction and re-open in early September. The northbound Route 71 lanes will shift to the new bridge and alignment by late August, and northbound ramps will close at that time. The northbound ramps are scheduled to re-open by early November.

The new plan will save several months of construction compared to the original plan, and also save $623,000.

This project -- a cooperative effort with the City of Belton -- will help relieve some of the major congestion for these travelers.

What to do in the zone

Hot days, cool drinks and orange cones are all signs of summer. With additional funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, this summer will be one of the busiest construction seasons to date. Driving with care is imperative!

Tips for driving safely through work zones include:

• It's safer to avoid or minimize lane changes as much as possible in a work zone.
• Always keep to posted speed limits!
• Stay alert! Dedicate your full attention to the roadway, pay attention to fellow drivers and workers.
• Be patient with workers and other motorists. Work zones are temporary.
• Watch for flaggers, workers and equipment on the move. Always expect the unexpected.

Work zones are a temporary situation, and wel want to offer the best options for both our road crews and the driving public. If you have a suggestion for how we can improve -- or a compliment for how we are doing -- we want to know.

Driving through a work zone? Tell us how we're doing! Rate our work zones online at www.modot.org.

210 off-ramp opens

Did you know the I-29/35 corridor leading into downtown Kansas City hosts an average of 102,000 vehicles each day? The $245 million “interstate connections” project will upgrade Interstate 29/35 to six lanes, 124 feet wide, covering 4.7 miles.

The kcIcon project reaches another milestone on July 28 when the off-ramp to 210 from I-29 and I-35 opens.

The new bridge will be an impressive cable-stayed structure which uses tall-reaching towers and a web of cables to lift the bride above the water. The base of this bridge recently breached the river line and is starting to rise out of the water. One of the most notable cable-stayed bridges is the award-winning Denver Millennium Bridge.

If you want to watch the progress, check out the Web cam coverage! For more information, including pictures and an artist rendition of the completed bridge, visit kcIcon.org

Safe & Sound will improve 145 bridges

Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program will improve more than 800 of Missouri's worst bridges in five years, many of which are in rural areas on lettered and numbered routes. The program recently completed the 50th bridge. Crews have completed and reopened a new bridge every day-and-a-half. Another 30 bridges are currently under construction.

In this area MoDOT will repair or replace 145 bridges. This summer, 12 will be repaired: seven of which are already complete and three are under construction.

Recent bridges part of this program include:

• The Route 2 Bridge over the Grand River in Cass County
• Route O Bridge over Poney Creek near Freeman in Cass County
• The Route B bridge over Knob Creek southeast of Creighton in Cass County
• Route CC Bridge over Clear Creek in Clay County

When the Safe & Sound sign is posted on a bridge, you know that structure will be under construction in the next five years. While under construction, the bridge will be closed, which allows MoDOT to save cost so we can replace more bridges.

For a complete list of Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Projects, review a county-by-county breakdown.

Two projects improve Route 13

The Warrensburg "East Loop" project in Johnson county, and the Lexington "Gap" project in Lafayette County to relocate Route 13 south of Route 24 near Lexington are expected to open in 2010. Both projects will address major traffic congestion and safety concerns for both local and cross-state traffic. For example:

• Safety, which is always MoDOT’s top priority, is the leading factor for relocating Route 13 to just east of Warrensburg. The average daily traffic (ADT) ranges from 6,700 to 21,350 throughout this portion of Route 13. Construction of a new route will help reduce congestion and accidents.

• The Route 13 “Gap” project will send traffic to the east of the City of Lexington, separating through and local traffic. The regional planning councils along the Route 13 corridor view this project as part of a regional goal to provide an improved highway between the northern Kansas City area and I-70. 

For complete details on both these projects, visit the Route 13 Website.

Web and phone alerts save time and headaches

A recent survey by the Texas Transportation Institute confirmed that Kansas City is steadily improving traffic congestion. In fact, the city fell from No. 65 to 70th of the top 90 congested urban areas. One of the reasons for the decline involves the intricate traffic and weather alert signs and camera views of major highways.

That's where Kansas City Scout delivers. In addition to the roadway message boards, Scout can deliver traffic and weather updates directly to your e-mail or phone. The Scout system lets you personalize your route so you only receive traffic updates that affect your commute. It is convenient and easy.

You can only use Kansas City Scout at your desktop. The online tool recently underwent an upgrade to include a new traffic dashboard which gives you at-a-glance, real-time camera images, as well as detailed incident information all located right on the homepage.

If the tweets fit, face it!

MoDOT is about more than roads. Our top priority -- in addition to safety -- is supporting the traveling public. That includes sharing information, asking for feedback and keeping you up-to-date on the latest transportation news.

One of the ways we do that is through twitter, Facebook and Blogger. Each has new and expanded information about transportation news that may affect you. Log on and follow along!

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MoDOT_KC

Blogger: http://modotkc.blogspot.com/

Facebook: MoDOT Kansas City

Or e-mail at KCCommunityRelations@modot.mo.gov.