• Home
  • News
    • Business
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
    • Legislature
    • Politics / Govt
  • Sports
    • The Bill Pollock Show
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support

Missourinet

Your source for Missouri News and Sports

You are here: Home / Transportation / Transportation commission building relationships, overcoming challenges

Transportation commission building relationships, overcoming challenges

April 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

As the chairman of the Missouri Highways and TransportationCommission completes his second month on the job, he reflects on thedepartments successes and challenges. 

KehoeMike3.jpg Mike Kehoe, after serving four years on the commission, took the lead as chairman at the beginning of March. (He was appointed to the commission in 2004 by then Gov. Matt Blunt.)

He says the department’s been working to strengthen its relationshipwith other entities, a part of working with MoDOT he really enjoys. Those partnerships were made evident Monday as MoDOT, key transportation legislators and officials from Union Pacific and Amtrak came together to break ground on a rail expansion project in California, Mo.

A study by the University of Missouri Engineering Department identified a 25-mile stretch in California as a major bottleneck along the St. Louis to Kansas City corridor, putting Amtrak passenger trains behind schedule.

There are no sidings long enough for Union Pacific cargo trains to pull off the main track, allowing Amtrak to speed through. Therefore, Amtrak has to pull off instead, resulting in late arrivals.

Kehoe says this is one of many projects where MoDOT and other agencies are working together to solve problems and improve Missouri transportation.

Kehoe says the department’s learned valuable lessons when looking atrough patches its encountered in the past, like the failed 15-yearhighway plan of the 90s. The five-year rolling plan now used means heightened accountability for MoDOT, which reviews and updates the plan annually to better track projects and spending.

He says MoDOT projects are always going to be controversial becausethere’s never enough funding to complete all of the projects peoplewant finished, but with everyone thinking outside the box and aiming at a common goal, more gets accomplished with each passing year.

In 1998, accountability legislation passed, requiring MoDOT to submit anannual report to the legislature by Nov. 10 each year. The same legislation created theposition of MoDOT director.

MoDOT adopted its rolling five-year plan for highway and bridgeimprovements in the state in 1999. That’s when the 15-Year Plan was scrapped as the financial blueprint for construction projects.

Serving with Kehoe, who lives in Jefferson City, on the commission is David Gach, St. Joseph, vice-chairman. Kehoe andGach have both served since 2005, with terms endingin 2011.

They replaced Duane Michie, Hayti, and Jim Anderson, Springfield,whose terms ended March 1, but both will remain on thecommission until Gov. Jay Nixon names their replacements. Other commission members are Rudy Farber, Neosho, and Grace Nichols, St. Charles. The six-member bipartisan commission governs the Missouri Departmentof Transportation.

Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Transportation Tagged With: Amtrak, Department of Transportation, Travel

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.



Tweets by Missourinet

Sports

What we’re watching next week in Missouri Legislature: budget, oversight hearings and MLB antitrust exemption pushback

The … [Read More...]

Missouri lawmaker and veteran referee says sports officials are being harassed and threatened by parents and fans (AUDIO)

Bipartisan … [Read More...]

Cards offense falters, Royals rained out

The St. … [Read More...]

Bad second period dooms Blues

The Blues … [Read More...]

Cards offense falters in loss to Nationals

The … [Read More...]

More Sports

Tweets by missourisports

Archives

Opinion/Editorials

TwitterFacebook

Copyright © 2021 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC