Did you know in Microsoft Teams you can instantly pop out
your one-on-one or group chat into a separate window? You are then able
to resize, reposition or close the window if you wish. This makes it convenient while you are
working on another item, in a meeting or taking a call.
You can do this one of 2 ways:
We're finally able to reveal what the new Buck O'Neil Bridge connecting the Northland and Kansas City, MO will look like. Here are just a few of the artist renderings provided by the contractor set to build the new bridge. This is a very exciting time for Kansas City.
MHTC Member Dustin Boatwright called in to "give a well-deserved good job to everyone for the last couple weeks on snow removal."
MHTC Member Gregg Smith sent this email to all employees: "I want all of you who have worked on winter operations to know how much I appreciate you and all you do! All of us on the Commission know it has been a long round of bad weather and that you are tired and weary. Please know how much we appreciate your determination to keep the roads cleared for safe travel for everyone. I hope as soon as this round of weather clears up you are all able to spend time with your families and get the rest you deserve."
The highway conditions also impact commerce throughout the state.
John Jacks with Prairie Fire Coffee called to thank MoDOT crews. Because of our crews, Jacks said none of his drivers missed a stop during the storm.
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Director Randall Williams said that MoDOT has played a vital role in vaccine distribution across the state.
"I want to give a shout-out to Patrick and our Department of Transportation. They have done a phenomenal job on the roads," Williams said. “I-70 was so good.”
District Engineer Dave Silvester also wanted to share his thanks.
"I want to thank everyone in the Kansas City District
who worked these past two weeks to keep Kansas City bridges and highways
clear,” Silvester said. “You helped ensure the safety of the driving public
your hard work did not go unnoticed."
Instructions for adding the frame to your profile picture:
•Click on your profile picture.
•Click on "update profile picture"
•Click on “add frame”
•Search for "Why I BUPD"
•Choose the "Why I BUPD" frame from the results.
•Click “Use as Profile Picture.”
•Comment about why you BUPD with the hashtag #BUPD.
It’s no secret that MoDOT is constantly striving to make things safer, more efficient, and cost effective. One of the ways that MoDOT does this is by utilizing a set of strategies called Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO).
These strategies provide agencies with a variety of tools to help them manage and operate equipment and technology they already own – rather than making additional infrastructure investments. TSMO’s goal is to focus on operation improvements that can maintain and even restore the performance of existing transportation system before extra capacity is needed. This process helps agencies get the most of their transportation facilities they already have by applying strategies such as work zone management, traffic incident management, traffic signal coordination, and access management.
According to Incident Management Coordinator Marcus Slaughter, TSMO looks at performance from a system’s perspective, not just for one strategy, project, or corridor.
Benefits of TSMO include smoother and more reliable traffic
flow, improved safety, reduced congestion, less wasted fuel, and more efficient
use of resources to name a few.
“TSMO not only provides MoDOT with a growing toolbox of individual solutions, but encourages combining them to achieve greater performance on the entire system,” explains Slaughter. “These strategies are coordinated with others across multiple jurisdictions, agencies, and modes. Integration views the surface transportation network as a unified whole, making the various transportation modes and facilities work together and ultimately perform better.”
Traffic Incident Management (TIM) is a very effective TSMO strategy and is utilized everyday by MoDOT. TIM consists of a planned and coordinated multi-disciplinary process to detect, respond to, and clear traffic incidents and restore traffic flow as safely and quickly as possible. Everyday, MoDOT Emergency Response along with numerous internal and external partners apply TIM to reduce the duration and impacts of traffic incidents and improve the safety of motorists, crash victims, and all responders.
According to KC Scout’s Manager, Randy Johnson, “Everyone at MoDOT has a role to play in traffic incident management. Maybe it’s the slip barrier design implemented by Design and Construction, or on the fly signal timing changes by the traffic department due to detoured traffic, or even the continuous coordination with the local maintenance building for long term work zones on major incidents,” he explains.
With
one of MoDOT’s core values being safety, it is imperative that we utilize all
of our available tools to make sure everyone goes home safety. TSMO strategies
make MoDOT a safer, more efficient, and cost effective organization.
Throughout the chaos of the Corona virus pandemic, we’ve all had to adapt and overcome, both personally and professionally.
MoDOT’s Risk Management Department has seen its share of changes, due to the pandemic, but they’ve been able to adapt and overcome and they believe they are better for it.
MoDOT Safety and
Health Manager Eric Ramsey credits the collaboration of his staff and the
Kansas City District leadership for making key adjustments when the pandemic first
began.
Ramsey says the overall guidance for adapting to change came from Central Office senior leadership, but it was his team and district leadership who put things in motion.
“The first major change was a need to secure PPE for our workforce and to help facilitate the guidance from Central Office Senior Leadership regarding rapidly developing requirements about wearing face coverings,” said Ramsey.
Ramsey says his team made several trips to Jefferson City to obtain their allotted supply of face masks. “We then had to implement a plan to get those face coverings to the workforce with a focus toward safety-sensitive workers”, adds Ramsey.
The pandemic also caused the Risk Management team to alter their day-to-day safety functions. “I recall a lot of training sessions being cancelled such as CPR training, new hire orientation, fall protection and advanced work zone. So, we adapted pretty quickly to the new marching orders regarding distribution of PPE and shed visits. However, it remained a priority throughout all of this to never slack in all of our other normal safety practices. Seat belts, avoiding backing, preventing injuries and accidents have never been given a pass during the pandemic.”
As strange as it may sound, Ramsey says the pandemic has
changed things for the better. “I absolutely see remarkable improvements in
many lifestyle habits that will contribute toward healthier living. Hygiene
habits and overall cleanliness at home, work and play have helped ward off
other illness besides the Coronavirus.”
FEMA’s 5 Areas of Focus: Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response and Recovery.
Ramey says no matter the circumstance or the situation, being prepared can help us all adapt and overcome.
“Disasters require our immediate ability to get it together,
keep it together; so we can get through it together,” adds Ramsey.
