MoDOT and its contracting team leads, Millstone Weber and Parson's Transportation Group, invested in the futures of area high school students near the project boundaries.
Project PAVE, a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Program, mentored, taught and supported students attending targeted St. Louis North County high schools. The goal was to stimulate an interest in and pursuit of heavy highway design, engineering, and construction careers. More than 100 local students participated in Project PAVE over the course of the I-270 North project.
Patrick Hanneken, an instructor at North Technical High School is already seeing a difference among his students. "Morale is above and beyond. I have 9 seniors and when they see this kind of success happening through these partnerships with Millstone Weber and other companies, it helps tremendously," Hanneken said. "Classes run smoother, more work is getting done, these kids are seeing the big picture at the end of the tunnel and saying 'Hey, that could be me.'"
Project PAVE partnered with industry, academic, public and private construction experts to present students with options for potentially lucrative career in the highway construction and construction related professions. A partial partner list includes:
- St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley
- St. Louis Community College-Forest Park
- Emerson STEM Academy
- Exploring, Inc.
- Better Family Life
- Associated General Contractors — St. Louis
During Project PAVE, students are exposed to a wide curriculum including planning and design, technical math for construction, bridges and interchanges, safety, maintenance of traffic and the design-build process, as well as live skills like financial literacy, communications and physical, mental and social well-being.
More information on the Project PAVE initiative is available on this fact sheet.
