Happy Birthday Jodie Puhr (Photo Gallery)

MoDOT KC Helps Launch MADD's Annual Holiday Safe Driving Campaign

Members of MoDOT KC, local law enforcement and leaders of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) came together to help launch an annual holiday safe driving campaign.  

On Wednesday, Nov. 20 MADD, kicked off their "Tie One On for Safety" campaign in the parking lot of Kauffman Stadium.


MADD Heartland Chapter Leader Leann Briggs began the brief program by talking about the increased use of alcohol during the holiday season, which she says also leads to the increase in roadway crashes.

Briggs lost her father in 2008 when a drunk driver crossed the center line of the road and slammed into him head-on.  

During her brief speech, Briggs held up a red ribbon, which is part of the Tie One On for Safety campaign. The ribbons signify a pledge to never drink and drive; and always have a designated driver.


Briggs asked everyone in the crowd to place a ribbon on their vehicle to let everyone know that they've tied one on. 

Several others spoke on the importance of safe driving during the holidays, including Assistant District Engineer Susan Barry. 


In her comments, Barry mentioned the large amount of MoDOT workers who are constantly in harms way while maintaining roads in Kansas City.

Barry concluded by saying there's still much more work to be done to help prevent drunk driving.  


Others who spoke included a trauma surgeon, an EMT specialist and a represented from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. 

The Tie One On for Safety program began in 1986. The annual holiday campaign runs from Nov. 16 through Dec. 31. 

Giving A Little Helps A Lot

It’s that time of year again –time to compete for department bragging rights in the MoDOT KC Harvesters Essentials Drive! Not only does your team have the opportunity to be featured in our internal newsletter as the biggest giver, but even better – we all get to help local families make the holidays a little brighter this season. The MoDOT KC Harvesters Essentials Drive will begin Tuesday, Nov. 26, and go through Friday, Dec. 20. All items will be collected at the District Office on Dec. 20, so please deliver anything donated before then.  

Harvesters’ mission is to feed hungry people today and work to end hunger tomorrow. They are a regional food bank serving a 26-county area of northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas. They provide food and related household products to more than 760 nonprofit agencies including emergency food pantries, community kitchens, homeless shelters, children’s homes and others. Harvesters' main facility is located in Kansas City, Missouri at 3801 Topping Ave. Last year, Harvesters distributed more than 47 million meals to hungry people in our region.

Your donation makes a difference! (No glass please.) Here is a list of needed items.

Food

• Canned vegetables (low sodium)
• Canned fruits in 100% juice
• Dried fruit (no added sugar preferred)
• Canned chicken, tuna, salmon (packed in water)
• Brown rice
• Whole grain pasta
• Dried beans or canned low sodium beans
• Peanut, almond, or sun butter
• Canned soup (chicken, tomato or vegetable)
• Cereal – hot and cold (whole grain, low sugar preferred)     

Household Products

• Soap
• Deodorant
• Shampoo
• Toilet Paper

For more information, go to https://www.harvesters.org/

Holiday volunteer opportunities available

The Holiday Planning Committee currently seeks volunteers to help spread holiday cheer during the annual holiday luncheon, planned for Dec. 19.

If you are interested in helping with the luncheon or any accompanying festivities that day, contact Kelly Alvarez at Kelly.alvarez@modot.mo.gov  or call (816) 347-2202 or stop by the Scout Traffic Management Center.

And if gift-giving is your holiday thing, mark your calendar for Nov. 26. The Angel Tree will debut that day in the district office with gifts you can purchase for Adopt-A-Family children. The Adopt-A-Family program provides gifts for MoDOT families who need financial assistance during the holiday season.  

Donate blood, get a free Chiefs shirt

MoDOT will host a blood drive from 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at the Kansas City District Office, 600 NE Colbern Road.

The Community Blood Center will facilitate the blood drive and all participants will receive free, limited edition Chiefs T-Shirt. 

The Community Blood Center sends out almost 3,600 units of blood components each week to treat patients in about 60 area hospitals. To keep up this supply the Community Blood Center needs 500 donors daily. The blood center is currently experiencing a shortage of donations and encourages all eligible donors to give blood. 

“The nation’s blood supply has never been lower than it is right now. Our donor base continues to decline and that has led to a critical shortage,” said Kim Peck, Senior Executive Director of Community Blood Center. “You never know when your family member, friend or neighbor could need help. It’s important for everyone to consider donating so we can continue to meet the needs of patients in our community.”

To schedule a donation during the MoDOT blood drive, visit savealifenow.org/group and enter group code KC8J. For more information contact Lori Bronson at (816) 607-2296 or Lori.Bronson@modot.mo.gov. 

MoDOT celebrates Veterans Day (Photo Gallery)

MoDOT Kansas City District celebrated veterans with a special Veterans Day Breakfast on Friday, Nov. 8.

Shout out to MoDOT first responders: Community members provide praise for a job well done

Kansas City District MoDOT emergency responders are 

oftentimes the unsung heroes of the road.

Crystal Stumph didn’t know about Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week (Nov. 11-17) when she sent an email to KC Scout, praising the work of Daryl Smith.

But Stumph did know that Smith had come to her rescue when her tire blew out on Interstate 435.

“I’m a single mom who was on my way to work and had a bad blow out on South 435 past the Interstate 70 exit that’s closed,” Stumph wrote in an email to KC Scout. “I honestly have no one here in Kansas City to help me with anything like this and I was frantically scared and crying. Mr. Smith showed up shortly after and without hesitation began to assist me by removing and changing my tire. He was very courteous and professional and helped keep me calm as I was shaking and scared from the occurrence and being alone on a busy highway at noon. I cannot express how much I appreciate what this gentleman did for me and hope you will acknowledge him for his service to me today.”

KC Scout receives emails like this one every week thanking the men and women who serve as first responders for MoDOT.

“Generally, we get two or three a week,” said Scott Banes, MoDOT motorist assistance operations supervisor. “We appreciate the accolades.”

And customers aren’t the only ones giving emergency responders kudos. Last Thursday, Nov. 7, KMBC Channel 9 publicly praised Kansas City District MoDOT Emergency Responder Torrey Canady for his work in clearing a traffic incident that morning.

Five vehicles had to be removed from the highway during that incident.

Canady said he appreciates the kudos, but also gives credit to the courteous drivers who enabled the incident to be cleared in a smooth fashion.

“Motorists were willing to move their vehicles over and get off the high way,” Canady said. “They were all cooperative.”

Scout doesn’t receive praise for every incident that that emergency responders work, but when they do, Banes said the feedback encourages his crew.

"The ones that we do hear from are really genuine," he said. "It is 100 percent fulfilling."

MoDOT Explores KCMO's Forgotten Eighth Street Tunnel

A group of MoDOT team members recently played the role of explorers at an historic location in downtown Kansas City.

On Friday, Nov. 1 Gerri Doyle, Mike Landvik, Joey Hinton and Perry Allen along with representatives from the City of Kansas City, Burns and McDonnell and a couple of historians all donned hard hats, boots and flashlights to travel deep beneath the streets to probe the old remains of the Eighth Street Tunnel.

The purpose of the exploration is part of evaluating the environmental impacts associated with building a new Buck O’Neil Bridge.

The footprint of a new bridge could potentially impact the old Eighth Street Tunnel, which is why the visit was so important.

“A part of our environmental assessment is to evaluate all of the cultural and historic resources within our project area and the potential impacts to them as a result of our bridge replacement,” said MoDOT Transportation Planning Coordinator Michael Landvik.  

There are several options on the table if MoDOT, the City of Kansas City and several of its partners move forward on a plan to build a new bridge.

A number of those bridge options could potentially impact part of the bluff that sits above Interstate 35, just south of the River Market area.

“The results of this assessment will help us decide if we should avoid this tunnel completely when we replace the bridge or if we need to seek additional clearances and permits,” said Landvik.  

A guide from MC Realty Company unlocked several doors and gates, leading to the tunnel that has been long forgotten.

Once the locked doors were opened, you’re immediately hit in the face with the heat from the tunnel, which stays at a balmy 80 degrees. That helps to preserve everything inside it.

After several steps inside the dimly lit monument, water can be seen cascading down the ancient brick walls. An occasional drop of water would also fall from the meticulously laid brick ceiling. Even more amazing, the further you walked into the tunnel, the lower the ceiling gets until you’re crouching.

Landvik says no one was certain of the current condition of the tunnel. He says they needed to go inside along with historic specialist consultants to evaluate it and determine if the historic integrity is still intact and what condition it was left in when it was capped-off in the 1970s.

 

There is no question that time has stood still inside the edifice.  

Before there was the Eighth Street Tunnel, there was the Ninth Street Incline. It was completed in 1885. The Ninth Street Incline was a cable car line that took riders down the 200 foot bluff into the industrial area of the West Bottoms.

Robert Gillham of New York City was the builder of the Ninth Street Incline. He was also the builder of the Eighth Street Tunnel.

But due to the steep grade of the incline, plans were made in 1903 to build another new tunnel through the original one, but at a lesser grade.

It was from there the Eighth Street Tunnel became an electric street car line that serviced thousands of passengers each day.  

The street car line flourished well into the mid 1950s, but with the influx of personal vehicles and other modes of public transportation, the line was shuttered and capped off.

Since then, the Eighth Street Tunnel has been closed to the public. There have been tours in the dark, cavernous tunnel, but those are pretty rare these days.

  

Bridge tour makes two more Kansas City stops

District Construction and Materials Engineer Brian Burger, left, 

discusses bridges with Gov. Mike Parson and MoDOT Design 

Liason Engineer Shelie Daniel, far right.

Gov. Mike Parson made two more stops in the Kansas City District for his Focus on Bridge tour on Oct. 23.

Parson visited a bridge on 140^th street in Grandview that goes over Interstate 49. This bridge is set to be rebuilt beginning in the spring of 2020. The new bridge will feature new sidewalks and pedestrian crossings at the out roads.

The project is part of Gov. Parson Focus on Bridges initiative.

Grandview Mayor Leonard Jones Jr. spoke at the event.

“The focus on bridges is a very good thing for us and it is a great thing for the state of Missouri,” Jones said. “This bridge is going to be instrumental in moving forward.”

MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna praised Parson’s bipartisan effort of the bridge program.

“This is a solvable problem,” McKenna said. “Not only are we replacing this bridge, but we are making it safer as well.”

During his State of the State address, Gov. Parson asked the legislature for funds to repair 250 bridges across the state. The legislature ultimately approved $301 million in bonds to repair or replace 215 bridges.

The legislature also allocated $50 million in general revenue for fiscal year 2020 to repair or replace an additional 45 bridges throughout the state. All the bridges are scheduled to be under contract by the end of 2020.

Gov. Parson has emphasized infrastructure and workforce development as high priorities in his administration.

“It is exciting times for the state of Missouri,” Parson said. “These are truly projects that are good for all of us in the state of Missouri. This bridge behind me has no partisan issues at all.”

After his stop in Grandview, Parson traveled to Ray County to visit the Route J bridge at Crooked River. This bridge was originally built in 1969 and is one of the rural bridges slated for repair next year.

More information about the Governor’s Focus on Bridges can be found at https://www.modot.org/focus-bridges.

Kansas City EAEC raises more than $2,000 for Adopt-A-Family campaign

Items from the EAEC's silent auction raised $675 for this year's 

MoDOT Adopt a Family. 

The KC Employee Advisory Extension Council (The Bridge) would like to thank the employees of the Kansas City District for their support through our fall employee meeting fundraising efforts.

The coin war raised $1,336.36, with Nashua Project Office retaining their crown with $532.96 in coins (49696 points), Lee’s Summit Maintenance earning second place honors with $179.43 in coins (16943 points), and Office Traffic taking third with $97.77 in coins (9777 points). The lowest point earner was the combined group of Transportation Project Designer’s Craig, Regina K., & Brad with the addition of the Project Managers with -90 points. The winners will be receiving their respective prizes over the next couple of months and the loser will receive their certificate.

The EAEC raised money through a pie-throwing contest for the second year in a row. Employees raised $265 through the pie-throwing contest. The receiving a pie in the face included Telisa Anderson (who received the pie by her daughter Jamie Thurman), Courtney Thompson, Brian Burger, Joey Hinton, Trisha Sen, Dee Goetz, and Travis Jones.

The pie-throwing proved to be a hit again this year, 

raising $265. 

“The main reason I like the effort is it helps raise funds for a good cause. I am more than happy to be chosen to have a pie thrown in my face any time since we are raising money,” Sen said. “It boosts morale and just makes people happy.” 

Thompson came to the meeting prepared with a shower cap. She said she was not surprised to be picked and offered this advice to anyone who has a pie thrown at them at future meetings.

“Hold your breath because it will go up your nose,” Thompson said.

In addition to those donations, the EAEC also received $51 for the money tree.

The silent auction featured a few staple items like handmade fishing lures, homemade peanut clusters and salsa, and custom baskets in addition to new items including various electronics, a handmade cheese/cutting board, duck calls, cakes, and more. Employees raised approximately $675 raised through the silent auction.

“Special thanks to those that donated items for the auction, your gift to us is very appreciated,” EAEC member Krystal Jolly said. 

All together the EAEC raised $2,327 at the fall meetings.

The funds that were raised at the fall employee meetings will benefit the Adopt-A-Family campaign. Each year during the holiday season, the Employee Assistance Fund purchases gifts for Kansas City District MoDOT employees’ families who need help purchasing holiday gifts. To apply for assistance through SharePoint, click here. For the mobile-friendly application click here. Applications are due Tuesday, Nov. 19. Our Angel Tree will debut by Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019.