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. 

71 Corridor Projects Starts to Come Together

Rain and some construction surprises have added days to the construction project at 163rd street and 71 Highway. Progress is being made and the interchange should be complete by the end of the year, with 163rd being open to traffic earlier this fall.

When complete, the this $11 million cost share with Belton will significantly improve access to and from Belton and Raymore, relieving traffic backups at the Route 58 interchange.

MoDOT has committed to keep two lanes open in each direction during construction at Route 71 and 163rd Street to ensure the best traffic flow possible for the more than 80,000 vehicles per day that travel this stretch of road.

"We have three projects in about a 4 mile corridor on 71 Highway.  This slows traffic and causes delays for drivers.  When 163rd Street project is finished this year it will help, but it will be the end of 2010 before all the projects are complete," says Perry Allen, Construction and Materials Engineer.

When designing these projects, engineers talked with motorists about the impact of the projects.  And like many other projects, citizens indicated they would rather have more concentrated work over two years than to have these projects stretched out over 6 years or more.

In addition to the 163rd project, the Route 150 and Route 71 interchange is also under construction with the intention of relieving congestion on 150 and providing a smoother transition between the two highways.  The North Cass Parkway interchange at about 187th Street is at the south end of the corridor.  When its completed it will provide additional access in the area and should help alleviate the congestion on Route 58.

For complete details on the 71 corridor projects, review the Route 71 Website at www.modot.org/kansascity

Online Meeting Discusses Pedaling and Walking on Chouteau Bridge

By late 2010, bicycles and pedestrians will find more ways than before to cross the Missouri River. Existing pedestrian access on the Chouteau Bridge will be expanded to provide for bicycle and pedestrian access.  MoDOT also is awarding a contract to add bike and pedestrian lanes on the Heart of America bridge.

MoDOT invites the public to learn more about this project through the online meeting or in person. At the meeting, you can learn more about funding, the construction schedule and how MoDOT invests in pedestrian and bicycle travelers. Share your opinions and comments on any page of this site. Click on the comment button, call us or e-mail for more information. Lend your voice to the transportation process.

This project is open for public comment. A public meeting will be held on Sept. 8 at from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Mid-America Regional Council at 600 Broadway, Kansas City, MO in the Lewis and Clark Room.

Designed to Be Safe and Sound

The largest bridge improvement in Missouri history is moving full speed ahead.

Earlier this year the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission selected KTU Constructors to replace 554 bridges across the state in the next five years through a Design-Build contract. Combined with another 248 bridge projects to be constructed through our normal letting process already in progress, Missourians will be driving across 802 new bridges by 2014.

MoDOT chose a design-build process because it actually streamlines the construction time line by combining design, permit, and construction schedules. It's also a cost savings. On average, a bridge replacement costs $1 to $2 million. Because contractors are finding more ways to reduce costs and still deliver a premium product, many of the design build bridges only cost $500,000 to $1 million.

A total of 145 bridges will be replaced in District 4: 102 by KTU and 43 using Modified Design Bid Build. Of those 102 bridgesone bridge, Route 45 over Bear Creek in Platte County, will be replaced this fall.

For complete details on the Safe and Sound program, visit www.modot.org/kansascity

You Can Recycle That?

Everyone knows that paper, plastic and cardboard is prime material for the recycle bin. But what about asphalt? You can recycle that!

MoDOT recently used an innovative road recycling process known as hot-in-place recycling to resurface portions of I-29 from Platte City to Vivion Road. The process includes heating the old road to more than 300ºF, raking the old asphalt, grinding it into smaller pieces, mixing it with a road tar, immediately laying it back onto the road then topping with a thin overlay. It is an especially effective option for low-cost maintenance to remove cracks, ruts, and low areas.

Crews are conducting the work at night to alleviate time and congestion for traffic. The work will be complete this fall, and by using the hot-in-place method, the department saved more than $1 million on the $11.7 million total cost of the project.

MoDOT in Kansas City was the first to use hot-in-place recycling in 2006, again to resurface more than 30 miles of I-29 north of Platte City. This effort is part of MoDOT's overall recycling effort. In fact, in 2007, the department used more than three million tons of asphalt containing recycled materials, proving that just about anything can be recycled!

For more information on all of MoDOT's recycling efforts, review www.modot.org/kansascity and click on the green MoDOT logo.

Interchange Taking Shape at I-470 and Blue Parkway

Motorists caught a glimpse of the bigger picture this month when MoDOT finished the split-diamond interchange at I-470 and Blue Parkway.

While the towering ramps still beckon, the newly finished interchange is just one more piece in a state-of-the-art interchange that will provide better access for I-470 traffic and create a safer, more efficient route for area motorists.

Originally built in the late 1970s, this interchange is the only major freeway-to-freeway junction in the southeastern metropolitan area. This project is part of a cost-share partnership between the City of Lee’s Summit and MoDOT that will fund the estimated $48 million project.

Although the Blue Parkway interchange is open to traffic, motorists can still expect some traffic delay as crews continue work on the connector roads spanning Route 50 and Route 350 to join the two half-diamond interchanges at Pryor Road and Blue Parkway on both sides of I-470. The entire project is on track to be complete June 2010.

For more information, including a project timeline, review the I-470 link on the Major Projects page on www.modot.org/kansascity.

Northbound 291 Bridge Repairs Begin this Fall

On July 7, a routine bridge inspection on northbound Route 291 lead to some interesting findings. Rust has damaged the bridge, prompting MoDOT to immediately close it. While it is unusual to close a bridge so suddenly, when it comes to traffic safety, there is no higher priority at MoDOT.

The department immediately built crossovers, or a temporary bypass, to divert northbound traffic to cross into southbound lanes.

And that's when the real work began.

Thanks to ultrasound technology, the bride inspection revealed an advanced amount of rust on the back side of several structural steel pieces. This technology allows inspectors to see parts of the bridge that are hidden from view. In order to make the bridge safe for drivers, each plate must be custom made and refit. Exact drawings were made of each plate, which were then sent to a specialty shop for a custom fit. Once the plates are ready, final repairs will begin.

Repairs to the trusses are scheduled to begin in early September and last through mid-October when the bridge will be reopened to normal traffic.

One piece of good news on this project: repair costs will be less than $500,000.

For complete details on the Route 291 Bridge or any MoDOT projects, visit www.modot.org/kansascity.

Right of Way Takes the Right Way

The Missouri Department of Transportation is in the business of a lot of things, from building roads to plowing snow. But many people don't know that buying and selling land is one of them.

Occasionally, after Right of Way is purchased for a project, the land exceeds need. In the past few years, the department has begun an aggressive campaign to sell excess property.

Often the land is part of adjoining property and the landowner is happy to add it. In some cases, it may be developed independently.  In fiscal year 2008, MoDOT sold 112 properties at a value of more than $4.4 million. In District 4, eight properties generated more than $628,000 -- funds which were immediately put back into projects that serve the driving public.

Under the Realty to Roads initiative, MoDOT is using two private firms for real estate marketing and consulting services. White & Associates and Grubb & Ellis help MoDOT sell selected parcels of excess land that range in size from less than an acre to 160 acres. 

For more information, including a list of properties currently for sale, review the Realty to Roads Website at www.modot.org/realtyforsale/index.htm

kcICON Rock Star

In September 2008, kcICON Project contractor Paseo Corridor Constructors fished a boulder out of one of the new, Christopher S. Bond Bridge's drilled shafts. Talk about a rock and a hard place!

Turns out the rock is not native to Missouri. In fact, it was likely carried from Canada — or points further north — during the Ice Age and deposited in the Missouri River bed.

The boulder was donated to New Mark Middle School and serves as a focal point in a new peace garden at the entrance to the school. The garden is maintained year-round by the faculty and students. Rumor has it that some of the students call it the "kissing rock" because they have shared — or dream of sharing — their first kiss in the peace garden near the rock.

Project construction is 51 percent complete and on schedule to finish by July 31, 2011. The river bridge pylon is 50 percent complete. Watch the daily progress from a bird's-eye-view Web cam on www.kcicon.com.

Now that totally rocks!