Connections: Feb. 2011

8/7/2019 Connections: Feb. 2011

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A Publication for Employees of the Missouri Department of Transportation

ConnectionsFebruary 2011

Round andRoundFulton receives its first

roundabout in D5

BuildingBridgesD1 gears up for

bridges in 2011

Out With theOldMaintenance building in

D3 is now history

TeamworkD8 works together for a

safer workplace

Ins ide

Coffee TalkDirector Kevin Keith

visits D10 to talk about

the future

Major Striping Changes Part ofNew Five-Year Direction

MoDOT Employees Are Top in CharitableGiving for Four Years Running

District 8 was the

district competi-tion winner forthe MSECC. Pic-tured here is (leftto right) JackieKampeter,DanielleThomas, District 8Engineer Kirk Jura-nas, Sharon Need-ham, Carrie Fodge,Dawn Haslag andJennifer Jorgensen.

Shaun Schmitz

Cathy Morrison

Cathy Morrison



ConnectionsF e b r u a r y 2 0 1 1

2

Connections

2

Striping Changes

Red Light, Red Light Please Turn Green

Enforcement on the Island

St. Louis County Police Department Officer ScottRoach stands with Meghan Carter, the affiliate execu-tive director for MADD St. Louis.

State Rail Plan Needs Public Input

Shaun Schmitz

Cathy Morrison




3

Missouri Highways andTransportation Commission

Quite Frankly

More Commercial MotorVehicle Drivers AreBuckling Up

Missouri Highways and Transportation Commissioners (left to right) Ken-neth H. Suelthaus, Grace M. Nichols, Vice Chairman David A. Gach, Chair-man Rudolph E. Farber, Lloyd J. Carmichael, Stephen R. Miller.

CharitableCampaign

Cathy Morrison

Cathy Morrison

Shaun Schmitz




4

February Service Anniversaries

December Retirements

In Memoriam

ActiveDarrel E. Peebles D8 Dec. 20

Retirees

Telfor “Harry” Moran D1 Dec. 7

James W. Zumwalt D4 Dec. 7

Bobby “Bob” G. Bone D10 Dec. 12

Jimmie D. Shepherd D8 Dec. 13

Philip I. Davis D8 Dec. 15

James G. Martin D6 Dec. 15

Hossaingho li Houshmand CO Dec. 25

Robert “Bob” W. Frock D2 Dec. 27

Name Location Years ofService

Merlin Hagan D1 24

Billie Clapp D2 27

Robert Rowan D4 31

Edward Nichols CO 29

30 Years

Antonio Bryant D4

25 Years

Marion Spiers D1

Edward R. Vaughn D4

Donald T. Cooper D9

Donald A. Steelman D9

William L. Goodman D10

Dale M. Henderson CO

20 Years

Kenneth J. Walby D4

Michael W. Hodges D8

Amie D. Peters CO

15 Years

James L. Bosley D1

Robert L. Griffin D1Timothy R. Hibdon D4

Jamale V. L. Wilcox D4

Chris A. Stuckenschneide r D5

Lauren N. Teson D6

Richard E. Bievenue D6

Mitchell R. Huskey D6

Galen M. Steuck D7

Charlie R. Peterson D8

Cecil L. Hyde D8

Mark A. Mais D8

Lisa M. Kenley D10

Pamela J. Harlan CO

Andrew C. Rothove CO

Michelle L. Teel CO

Donald R. Schwartze CO

Joshua E. Admire CO

Gregory S. Wood CO

Charles A. Stanford CO

10 Years

Rodney J. Brejnik D1

Lawrence J. Amidei D2

Heather Barrows D4

Marvin L. Wallace D4

Randy L. Johnson D4

Leann R. Wollard D4

Brenda S. Aholt D5

Dennis H. Hoback D5

Randy L. McKinney D6

Melba L. Keller D6

Michael A. Bowman D6

Paul M. Graham D6

Joyce E. Shaw D7

Paula A. Hess D8

Bradley R. Gott D8

Nikki R. Knight D9

Lisa A. Camden D10

Cheryl L. Hollis CO

Melissa A. Stuedle CO

Dana L. Kaiser CO

Amy R. Rugen CO

Sherrie J. Turley CO

Sandra J. Hentges CO

James F. Whaley CO

5 Years

Aaron B. Peck D2

Aaron D. McVicker D2

Raefeal E. Crider D3

Lydia B. Brownell D3

Douglas B. Mahsman D3

Kenneth R. Weathers D3

Donald Dunn D4

Mark A. Swafford D4

Gerald W. Loges D4

Juan P. Guillen D5

Ryan M. Lazier D6

Jason M. Balestreri D6

Betty A. Andrews D7

Billy E. Guerin D8

Justin R. Penrose D8

Brent E. Swan D10

Richard W. Eggers D10

Timothy D. Leaf CO

Amy R. Glover CO

Dennis J. Finke CO

Beverly J. Coleman CO

Kelly J. Roth CO

Jerome F. Golson CO

Let it Snow

Applications will be accepted until March 1,

2011. If you would to like apply please visit

http://wwwi/intranet/eac/membership.htm.

E m p l o y e e Ad v i s o r y Council

The Employee AdvisoryCouncil is taking applicationsfor the next term of members.

MoDOT Shares Snow Shoveling Secrets

Shaun Schmitz



Across the State

Connections

Connections Editor Laura Holloway

Phone 573.751.5985

E-mail [email protected]

105 W. Capitol Avenue

P.O. Box 270

Jefferson City, MO 65102

for more info

C e n t r a l O f f i c e

C

5

F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 1

e-Phit Helps EmployeesGain Weight in the Wallet

MEE Zone on Sharepoint

Pledging to Drive Sober

Angie Bonnot receives a $100 Target gift card from Jeff Padgett,director of Risk and Benefits Management, during a surprisegathering at Motor Carrier Services.

Cathy Morrison



Across the State


N o r t h w e s t

D

Community Relations Manager Elaine Justus

Phone 816.387.2353


3602 N. Belt Highway

St. Joseph, MO 64506-1399

for more info

6

Building Bridges

Jon Morrow

Carl Carder, intermediateconstruction inspector,

retired with 27 years.His wife, two daughters

and two granddaughtersjoined him on his last day.

Maurice Craig, maintenancesupervisor at Bethany, retiredwith 26 years of service.

Jim Defreece, maintenancecrew leader at Maryville,celebrated 12 years of service

with his granddaughter.

Travis Jenkins

The picture above was taken at the Brownville Bridge project. The bargeand cranes in the picture were used for the lower lateral bracing repairon the truss over the Missouri River.

Retirees Take 155 Years OfExpertise With Them

The bridge construction has continued throughout the winter on theAmelia Earhart bridge in Atchison, Kan. The picture above was taken onJan. 4. Cold temperatures and inclement weather have only impactedconstruction minimally.

Mike Logan, maintenancecrew leader, was joined byhis wife and son during hisretirement farewell at theClearmont building. Loganretired with 33 years ofservice.

Alan Maddox, maintenancesupervisor, (left) and BillEstes, maintenance crew

leader, (right) both retired

from the Gallatin buildingon Jan. 1. Maddox retiredwith 32 years. Estes had 25

years of service.

Holly Murphy

Raymond Gebhards

Chris Baker

Julie Blaine

Jeff King





Across the State

Connections

N o r t h e a s t

D

Community Relations Manager Marisa Brown-Ellison

Phone 573.248.2502


Route 61 South

P.O. Box 1067

Hannibal, MO 63401

for more info

8

F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 1

Around the District

Oldest Building is

Now History

Tanya Carlisle, right of way, visits with aninterested citizen during a sporting event at thelocal high school about one of the roads thatwill close to replace a bridge south of Center.Communication efforts are underway about the40 bridges that will be repaired or replaced thisyear in northeast Missouri under the Safe andSound Bridge Program.

Supervisors Spared “Walking the Plank”

Ol’ man winter played Santa on Christmas Eve and delivereda large white package to northeast Missouri. The snow was a‘pretty package,’ but it kept crews busy most of the holidayweekend. Randy Inlow, Frankford maintenance, is picturedabove clearing Route 61.

One of the oldest maintenance facilities in the state was taken downlast fall in New Florence.

The second week of December, communities throughout northeast Mis-souri designated a Buckle Up Day to help remind everyone to wear theirseat belts. (Above left) The students at Knox County High School boarded abus and went to downtown Edina where they painted windows and put onribbons. The students also handed out coloring pages to elementary stu-dents. Coordinator Cindy Bliem-Sharp said it was fun. (Above right) City ofHannibal Clerk Angel Vance, Deputy Clerk Rebecca Graves and Finance Direc-tor Doug Warren wore green ribbons and hung posters throughout city hall.

Palmyra High school sophomore Me-gan Hooper (left) was the NovemberDrivin’ Clean at 16 gas card winner.The Drivin’ Clean program mails abirthday package to soon-to-be 16year olds in northeast Missouri. Thepackage contains fun items that

remind them to Arrive Alive, as wellas beneficial information about safedriving. Megan is pictured with theBlueprint Outreach CoordinatorStephanie Schneider.

Rhonda Stevenson, riskmanagement, receiveda High Achiever Awardlast month for process-ing a large numberof claims in a shortamount of time.

Communication is a key ele-ment to good leadership andmanagement skills, as learnedat the most recent supervisordevelopment training.



K a n s a s C i t y A r e a

D

Community Relations Manager Kristy Hill

Phone 816.607.2153


600 NE Colbern Road

Lee’s Summit, MO 64086

for more info

Across the State


9

D4 and the Not-So

Undercover Boss

D4 Says Goodbye

The ladies of Customer Service presented Davis with memoriesto take with her during a farewell celebration last year.

This is an example of the work Beth performedwhile extending more than 45 feet in the air. Herexperiences don’t stop here, as she will be complet-ing other tasks across the district in the future.



Across the State


Community Relations Manager Kristin Gerber

Phone 573.522.3375


1511 Missouri Boulevard

P.O. Box 718


for more info

10

C e n t r a l

D

Roundabout Opens in Fulton

Assistant District Engineer Eric Schroeter joined state and localofficials to cut the ribbon for the new roundabout.

Design Team Makes Startof Route 242 Possible

District Design EngineerSteve Engelbrecht reviews aproject map with one of thepublic hearing attendees.

Safety Improvements Proposed at U.S.

54 Intersections in Cole County

Shaun Schmitz

Cathy Morrison

Shaun Schmitz

About 80 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony, whichtook place on a parking lot overlooking the construction site.

Grading and excava-tion equipmpent

from BloomsdaleExcavating, Inc., thecontractor for theproject, was readyand waiting to beginconstruction.

Cynthia Koch



S t . L o u i s A r e a

D

Community Relations Manager Marie Elliott

Phone 314.453.1807

Email [email protected]

1590 Woodlake Drive

Chesterfield, MO 63017

for more info

Across the State

Connections

11

F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 1

S t . L o u i s A r e a

DDistrict 6 Awarded forDiversity Advocacy inConstruction

Shirlyn Myles

Help Save Lives byDonating Blood

The first tour group held in October 2010.

One of the first St. Louis residentsto get the opportunity to see theconstruction on the MississippiRiver Bridge.

MRB Team, Contractor StillOffer Monthly Public Tours



Across the State

F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 1

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S o u t h w e s t

D

Community Relations Manager Lori Marble

Phone 417.621.6504


3901 E. 32nd Street

Joplin, MO 64804

for more info

Connections

Emergency Watershed Program Saves Route H

in McDonald County

Before

After

Route 249 Slide Repairs Begin

Out With the Old, In With the New

Southwest District Signing crew members took advantage of recentgood weather to replace a worn-out overhead sign on Route 249 inJasper County.

Lori Marble



Across the State


S p r i n g f i e l d A r e a

D

Community Relations Manager Bob Edwards

Phone 417.895.7713


3025 E. Kearney

P.O. Box 868

Springfield, MO 65801

for more info

13

“Talkin’ Transportation” Call-In Radio Show

KWTO 560 AM, Springfield

10-10:50 a.m. Wednesdays

radiospringfield.com

Striping Worker Retires

Striping Maintenance WorkerGary Boyd

Boyd

Also retiring: Nebo Senior Main-tenance Worker Leo Admire and

Hartville Senior MaintenanceWorker Tom Henderson

D8 at Work1. Marshfield Maintenance Crew Leader Wes Hawkins, one of many whoworked Christmas Eve to handle a sleet storm, finishes an I-44 run.

2. Intermediate Equipment Technician Jeff Smith in the District Garage re-places a transmission line as part of a hydraulic pump replacement job toget a Springfield Maintenance truck back on the road after a Jan. 10-11snowstorm.

3. Sunshine Senior Maintenance Worker Randy Patterson, left, andMaintenance Crew Leader Ron Plaster confer at a shift change during theJan. 10-11 snow.

4. Senior Facility Operations Special-ist Charles Armstrong, left, and SignCrew Senior Maintenance WorkerDean Hudspeth, working with theBuilding Crew, make plumbing andother repairs and ADA modificationsto the employee break room in theDistrict Office.

Bob Edwards

Greater Teamwork,

Safer Workplace

1

2

3

4



Across the State

ConnectionsF e b r u a r y 2 0 11

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S o u t h C e n t r a l

D

Community Relations Manager Christi Turkleson

Phone 417.469.6203


910 Old Springfield Road

P.O. Box 220

Willow Springs, MO 65793

for more info

Jim Fiske Recognized by Commission for Heroic Actions

Jim Fiske accepts the Meritorious Safety Award plaquefrom Director Kevin Keith.

District 9 Celebrates a Successful Year

Cathy Morrison



Across the State


S o u t h e a s t

10D

Community Relations Manager Nicole Thieret

Phone 573.472.6632


2675 N. Main Street

P.O. Box 160

Sikeston, MO 63801

for more info

15

MoDOT Director Kevin Keith made

his second stop in District 10 this

January, since named director last

November. Keith was greeted by over

50 guests at a reception hosted by the

Cape Girardeau Chamber of Com-

merce.

The next morning, area dignitaries and

business leaders joined Keith at the

First Friday Coffee. During the meet-

direction and the future of t ransporta-

tion in Southeast Missouri.

Keith began by describing MoDOT’s

customer satisfaction and trust ratings,

the reduction in fatalities, and projects

such as four-laning Route 60.

“Those are the type of good news

stories and events we like to talk about

and quite frankly that you want,” he

said. “But we’re about done.”

MoDOT’s construction program has

been cut from approximately $1.3 bil-

lion to around $500 to $600 million.

“We are going to try to use the money

we have to the very best of our ability

to take care of the roads and bridges we

have in the state and keep our citizens

safe,” said Keith.

To do this, MoDOT will go back to

MoDOT will honor commitments in

the Statewide Transportation Improve-ment Program, maintain major roads,

improve bridges and minor roads, and

continue to provide outstanding cus-

tomer service.

To watch Keith’s entire address,

please visit: http://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=VHaXPM37ST8

Kevin Keith Makes Second D10 Visit as Director

Fruitland Rest Area ConversionLet Us Know What You Think!

D10 Innovations Challenge Winners

With private businesses now providing travelers with restroom facilitiesand better built vehicles, the need for rest areas is no longer as critical.MoDOT has been converting some sites to meet the growing demand forcommercial vehicle parking.

Keith took time to meet with local media and was featured in theSoutheast Missourian’s “Talking Shop” column. In the Q&A, he sharesone of his first engineering experiences. As a kid with an interest inbridges, Keith decided to build a dam across the creek in his subdivision,which resulted in five feet of water over the road. To read the completeQ&A, visit: http://www.semissourian.com/story/1693792.html .

In the Southeast District, MoDOT islooking at converting both the Fruit-

land rest areas into truck parking facili-

ties with vaulted restrooms only.

By building new Welcome Centers and

converting outdated facilities, MoDOT

hopes to reduce the current practice of

parking on ramps, thereby resulting in

a safer driving experience.

“Outdated facilities, the cost of upkeepand cleaning of the facilities and

limited truck parking are three major

reasons to convert this location,” said

Project Manager Eric Krapf.

Please let us know what you think at:

http://www.modot.org/southeast/news_

and_information/public_meetings/

FruitlandRestAreas_Jan2011.htm.

Changes may have been made to this

year’s Innovations Challenge, formerly

called the Tool and Equipment Chal-lenge. But one thing remains constant.

their jobs better, faster, cheaper and

more safely.

“Each year, it is great to see the in-

novative ideas our crews develop,”

said Lawrence Schumer, Maintenance

Superintendent and D10 showcase

judge. “Plus, even though it is a compe-

tition, the crews still demonstrate great

teamwork.”

Schumer explained that during the

challenge, participants are happy to

share their ideas with co-workers in

D10 and statewide.

D10 Innovations Challenge Showcase

winners include:

■ Adjustable Striping Wheel

■ Channel Driver

■ Overhead Hydraulic Crane

■ Pivoting Sign

■ Rear Sign Mount

■ Stop Sign and County Road Sign

Process

D10 showcase winners have been sub-

to the statewide showcase is pending.

“I want to thank everyone for their

participation in this year’s showcase,”

said Schumer. “I also want

to encourage everyone to

start preparing for next

year as soon as possible.”

He added that in addition

to the Innovations Chal-

lenge, employees with

ideas for innovations may

also submit them to Solu-

tions at Work throughout

the year.

Videos of the winning

innovations f rom D10’s showcase are

available online at: http://wwwi/in-

tranet/d10/Innovations2010-2011.htm.

Before the invention of the adjustable stripingwheel, the wheel would be positioned withinthe rumble strip during striping. This created abumpy ride for the paint gun and put extra stresson the machinery.

Senior Maintenance Worker ToddMcGregor describes the ease ofusing the hydraulic overhead craneto lift the hydraulic post driver.



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Commission Gives Green Light to Red-LightCamera Policy

Meritorious Safety Awards

MHTC Chairman Rudy Farber (left) and Director Kevin Keith (right), alongwith MHTC Commissioners (back row) honored Collin Quinlivan, Jim Fiske,

Sean Unglesbee and Mike Ryan on Jan. 12. Not pictured is David Rainey.

Cathy Morrison

Documents

Connections: Feb. 2011