Transportation links us to family and friends, work, and health care; delivers food and goods to our store shelves, and provides access to our favorite vacation spots. Our communities are located along transportation corridors such as highways and rivers or near transportation hubs such as airports, ports, and highway intersections. Of the 939 incorporated communities in Missouri, two-thirds have a population less than 1,000 people. Linking these communities and people is a big job and requires more than 32,000 miles of state-maintained roadway. The Missouri Department of Transportation works with regional planning groups and communities around the state to ensure that the needed transportation is provided. A high quality transportation system enhances the growth and social and economic stability of communities. Our state economy is also closely tied to transportation. Missouri's three biggest industries -- agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism -- are all dependent on transportation. Between 1980 and 1992, total sales increased the state's economy by over 22% to $116 billion. Transportation, in some form, provided for this economic activity. There is indeed a dynamic connection between our quality of life and the quality of our transportation system. Executive Order 12898 addressing environmental justice, signed by President Clinton in 1994, directs state agencies to ensure that there are no disproportionate adverse impacts borne by low-income and minority populations due to transportation projects. To fulfill the intentions of this order, MoDOT conducts preliminary field studies in a potential project area to assess the nature of the population likely to benefit or be impacted by the project. People who might be impacted by a MoDOT project are encouraged to become involved with the project through their MoDOT district office. Public involvement in project development is key to ensuring that citizens are provided the service they need. MoDOT offers a relocation assistance program to ensure that people who are impacted by a transportation project receive fair compensation. Property required for highway construction is subject to the provisions of the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act, as amended. This ensures that people, businesses, farms, and nonprofit organizations are provided with comparable replacement properties and that the relocation process is equitable and nondiscriminatory. The Missouri Department of Transportation provides transportation facilities in the form of roadways, ports, airports, pedestrian and bike facilities, and rail lines and bus service. This transportation infrastructure is provided with consideration of the range of social and economic issues involved. MoDOT recognizes that the quality of life is related to the quality of our transportation system and works to improve both. For more information on communities and growth in the State of Missouri, try this link: OSEDA