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Major highway project to close down I-44 in SW Missouri this weekend

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A major highway and bridge project will kick off with a 24-hour closure of one of Missouri’s most well-traveled interstate highways.

Substandard pavement on U.S. 65 adjacent to I-44 in Springfield (Image courtesy of MoDOT)

The U.S. 65 bridge over I-44 in Springfield is being replaced and demolition of the existing structure will close I-44 in both directions from midnight Friday night until midnight Saturday night.  East and westbound traffic on I-44 will be detoured onto south and northbound U.S. 65 to exits where motorists will loop back over to head back to the interstate highway.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has a webpage devoted to the U.S. 65 rebuild project that includes detailed maps of all detours and features a webcam trained on the interchange.

Angela Eden, Senior Communications Specialist with MoDOT Southwest Region, says the webcam will be of special interest this weekend.  “That is not a live camera, but it is updated about every 5-10 minutes with a new photo of the project,” said Eden.  “So, throughout this weekend they can watch the bridge being demolished and see the progress of it.”

Travelers driving through Missouri this weekend are being encouraged by MoDOT to avoid I-44 altogether and instead use I-70 across the state and I-49 from Kansas City back down to I-44.  Anyone needing to travel through Springfield over the same period is urged to avoid the interstate shutdown by using U.S. 60 to the south.

I-44 is a major truck route through the state and Springfield is home to a number of large motor freight companies including Prime and IWX.  MoDOT’s Eden says the Transportation Department has been in contact with the Missouri Motor Carriage Association and trucking operators to keep them aware of the project schedule.

“They all are very aware of the work that’s going to take place and are doing whatever needs to happen as far as their routing to make sure that they remain on time for their customers,” Eden Said.

The overall project to rebuild the U.S. 65 southbound bridge will close the roadway for up to 48 calendar days.

Aerial photos of the structure and the southbound lanes to its north and south show a large number of spots where pavement breakdowns have been patched up in a hodge-podge manner.  Eden says the rebuild of the bridge and adjacent highway lanes, which are roughly 50 years old, is needed for a couple of reasons.

“It’s been in constant need of repair, and it also has substandard clearance over the interstate,” said Eden.  “It doesn’t meet the modern standards required by the federal highway administration.”

The new bridge will be a higher structure which means the highways lanes on both sides and two loop ramps to and from I-44 from U.S. 65 will have to be reconstructed to accommodate the higher elevation.

On several occasions over the course of the project, I-44 will be closed at night while crews install girders on the new U.S. 65 bridge.  MoDOT anticipates the interstate will only be closed in one direction at a time over the course of two to four nights for girder installation although detours will be in place during those activities.

No work is planned for northbound Route 65 in the areas because that pavement was replaced during the installation of a major flyover ramp from northbound U.S. 65 to westbound I-44 in 2006-2007 and other segments were replaced during a separate rebuild project of U.S. 65 in 2017.

The entire project must be completed by November 1st.  However, most work is expected to be finished in late August by lead contractor Millstone Weber, Inc. of eastern Missouri’s St. Charles.  Weather and construction delays are also possible.

The project will impact a significant amount of traffic on the two impacted highways.  Roughly 70,000 vehicles per day travel on U.S. 65 in Springfield while I-44 in the area handles around 63,000 vehicles per day.  U.S. 60 in southern Springfield, which is a suggested alternate route during I-44 closures, also carries about 63,000 vehicles per day.

Travel to and from the vacation destinations of Branson and Table Rock Lake south on U.S. 65 from Springfield will be impacted by the construction.

The estimated total project cost is $4.3 million.

Governor Parson to meet with rural Missouri mayors Wednesday (AUDIO)

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Mayors from across rural Missouri will meet Wednesday afternoon with Governor Mike Parson (R) in Odessa to discuss numerous topics, including transportation funding and prevailing wage issues.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (center) waves at his address to a joint session of the Legislature on June 11, 2018. House Speaker Todd Richardson (left) and Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard (right) applaud (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Odessa Mayor Adam Couch says transportation is one of the biggest issues facing Odessa, which sits on I-70 in western Missouri’s Lafayette County.

“I-70 feeds a lot of traffic, a lot of business into our community,” Couch says. “And so being able to repair I-70 (and) expand it would be great.”

Mayor Couch supports the ten-cent gasoline tax increase that will appear on the November statewide ballot.

“It’s something that we’ve needed for quite some time,” says Couch. “I’ve read the report from the transportation commission and our roads, our infrastructure in general, are in dire need across the state.”

If approved by Missouri voters in November, the gasoline tax increase would be phased in over four years at 2.5 cents annually.

House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Reiboldt, R-Neosho, describes the November ballot measure as a public safety tax, which would fund the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the road and bridge fund.

Missouri’s gasoline and diesel tax are both currently at 17-cents a gallon, and haven’t been increased since 1996.

Mayor Couch also tells Missourinet Odessa needs a new I-70 interchange near Highways 131 and 40.

Voters in eastern Missouri’s Warrenton approved two citywide sales tax increases to fund a new interchange there, due to a lack of funding from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT).

State Rep. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, who served on Missouri’s 21st century transportation system task force, tweeted Tuesday, saying he’s glad to see Governor Parson discussing the importance of investing in Missouri infrastructure.

“Transportation is a major issue statewide. Should be an issue that brings everyone together- Democrats and GOP, urban and rural, business and labor, and traveling public who deserve good roads,” Razer tweeted.

Governor Parson told reporters in June at Mizzou that infrastructure must be a top priority.

Wednesday’s roundtable will start at 1:30 at Odessa Upper Elementary School.

Mayor Couch says it’s the first time he remembers a sitting governor visiting the town of about 5,300.

Couch says the governor is interested in hearing about the challenges rural Missouri is facing.

“The smaller, the breadbaskets of Missouri, you know, the hard workers, blue-collar workers, we just greatly appreciate him taking time out of his busy schedule to come and spend some time with us and hear us out,” Couch says.

He says the prevailing wage and local control will also be discussed at the roundtable.

Mayors from at least 15 towns have been invited, including Chillicothe, Knob Noster and Lexington.

The Odessa Chamber of Commerce website says the town “offers the best of both worlds with a calm, quiet lifestyle, a variety of business opportunities, and easy access to I-70.”

The website says Odessa’s median household income is $48,932, up from $34,007 in 2000.

 

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Odessa Mayor Adam Couch, which was recorded on July 10, 2018:

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

 

Group travels through Missouri promoting Route 66

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Representatives with the National Trust for Historic Preservation are traveling Route 66 in a classic Airstream trailer. They’re drumming up support to make the highway also known as the Main Street of America or the Mother Road a National Historic Trail.

Route 66 Airstream trailer (Image courtesy of KOLR-TV)

The organization’s Jason Clement told KOLR-TV the designation would bring more funding and recognition for the roadway.”We’re really hoping to preserve what makes Route 66 so special and the reason millions of people travel it every year, and that’s just this great roadside culture, and a really amazing snapshot of kind of Americana at its best,” Clement said.

Route 66 travels across Missouri from St. Louis through Springfield and Joplin for 317 miles within its pathway from Chicago to Santa Monica, California.

A bill to grant Route 66 a historic designation is in the U.S. House right now.  Clement says he hopes the president signs the declaration before the end of the year.

Amber Alert canceled for Kansas City area teen

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Police in the Kansas City suburb of Lenexa, Kansas have canceled an Amber Alert for a 13-year-old girl, who had been considered in imminent danger by authorities.

Lenexa Police say 13-year-old Amber Rewert-Schiavoni has been found safe in Minnesota.

 

OUR EARLIER STORY:

Police in the Kansas City suburb of Lenexa have issued an Amber Alert for a 13-year-old girl who could be in the Kansas City metro area or on a Greyhound bus to the Minneapolis area.

Amber Rewerts-Schiavoni (photo courtesy of the Missouri State Highway Patrol)

Law enforcement officers fear for her safety and consider her to be in “imminent danger.”

The Amber Alert was issued this afternoon by Lenexa Police for 13-year-old Amber Rewerts-Schiavoni, who is a white female.

She’s five feet five and 140 pounds with black hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a black “Sons of Anarchy” t-shirt, carrying a shiny blue billfold.

Her hair is dyed black, according to authorities.

The Amber Alert says the teen is believed to be with 23-year-old Deshon White, a 23-year-old black male wearing unknown clothing.

He’s described by police as five feet nine, weighing 200 pounds, with black hair.

Rewerts-Schiavoni was last seen leaving her Lenexa home on the Fourth of July afternoon. She told a parent she was walking to Oak Park Mall, which is at 95th and Quivira in Overland Park.

Deshon White (photo courtesy of the Missouri State Highway Patrol)

The Amber Alert says she and Deshon White was seen on video that night at the Greyhound bus station in Kansas City.

Lenexa Police tell Missourinet there have been no sightings since that video.

Authorities believe the teen had been coerced by the suspect.

Anyone with information or who sees the two should call 911 or the Kansas City Crimestoppers Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

26 people died in Missouri traffic crashes during 2017 Fourth of July holiday (AUDIO)

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The Missouri State Highway Patrol says all available officers will be patrolling roadways tonight and during the Fourth of July, enforcing traffic laws and assisting motorists.

Patrol Captain John Hotz says the 2018 counting period for the holiday is 30 hours: from Tuesday evening at 6 until 11:59 tomorrow night.

“We will again be participating in Operation C.A.R.E., which is the crash awareness reduction effort to do whatever we can to reduce the number of crashes on the highways,” Hotz says.

Hotz says 26 people were killed and another 469 were injured in Missouri during the 2017 holiday counting period, which was 102 hours.

“That’s (26) been the highest number that I can remember in the almost 29 years that I’ve been here,” says Hotz. “So last year was a particularly deadly year, it was a longer period but still 26 people killed during that timeframe is just a very high number.”

Captain Hotz says one crash during last year’s holiday killed four people, while another was a triple fatality accident.

Troopers also made 172 arrests for driving while intoxicated during the 2017 holiday.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says there’s never a good reason to drive over the speed limit. They also remind motorists to use their seat belts.

Missouri State Highway Patrol boat (July 2017 file photo courtesy of the MSHP)

Meantime, Missouri state troopers will also be visible on the state’s waterways today and on the Fourth, enforcing boating laws and helping where needed.

Hotz says the Fourth of July is one of the busiest boating holidays of the year.

“We always encourage people if alcohol is going to be part of their celebration, to make sure and designate a sober operator of that boat,” Hotz says.

Hotz says there were nine boating crashes in Missouri during the 2017 holiday, which included one fatality.

One person also drowned last year.

Hotz also tells Missourinet it’s illegal to discharge fireworks from a boat. He also notes tomorrow night’s fireworks displays will attract many more boaters at night.

Boaters are encouraged to wear life jackets.

 

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Missouri State Highway Patrol Captain John Hotz, which was recorded on June 29, 2018:

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

SE Missouri teen raises thousands after biking 900 miles to Florida

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Wade Hahn wanted to make a difference. The Ste. Genevieve teen decided to raise money and bring awareness for depression and suicide prevention in one cool way.

Wade decided to ride his bike from St. Louis, Missouri to Panama City Beach, Florida and raise money for the cause on the way.

He started his almost 900-mile journey on Monday, May 21 at the St. Louis Arch.

Hahn made it to Panama City Beach on Saturday, June 2 and raised $5,000 for Community Counseling which will go to help families and survivors of depression and suicide.

Mary Burton, Executive Director of CCCFoundtion, met with Hahn and Brandy Henderson of Ste. Genevieve High School to accept a $5,500 donation on June 25.

Heartland News got to meet the teen at Cape Bicycle in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday, May 22, while he stopped for bike repairs.

“I figured I would bring in the foundation, Community Counseling, and help other people with it,” Hahn said.

Hahn graduated from Ste. Genevieve High School where he had a couple of friends that have dealt with matters involving suicidal thoughts.

“It hit me deep,” Hahn recalled. “I saw them struggle with it every day. I had a class with one girl that always had these issues and not showing up. I talked with her about it and it just hit me deep and this is what I wanted to do.”

While Hahn was making the trip, he hoped that it will get people’s attention to help others that need help.

“Always offer a hand,” Hahn suggested. “Even if you think someone is doing alright, just offer the hand. Like ‘hey, you doing alright?’ Just get it out there and make sure they know. And if you know they are struggling, especially offer a hand and say, ‘hey, I can get you help.’ It doesn’t have to be a public thing.”

“We are getting a rim strip lined out for the tires,” Hahn explained.

Hahn closed his old life where he was a 2018 state wrestling champion at Ste. Genevieve High School, had many friends and graduated.

Now he is taking to the pavement to help others as he starts a new path in life, all while remembering those who have helped him along the way.

Hahn even wanted to personally thank those that helped him achieve this goal of raising awareness for suicide prevention.

“Thanks to Mrs. Henderson, Carrie Staffen and Mrs. Drury,” Hahn said. “All of them. They’ve helped me out a lot with getting this foundation pushed forward. And also, obviously my parents!”

He said he did take his graduation money and other funds gathered from working jobs to cover all expenses for this long trip.

If you would like to help, you can go to his Go Fund Me page here.

Missourinet media partner KFVS supplied this story

Missouri Lt. Governor Kehoe: “I believe public service is a privilege that no one should take lightly”

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Missouri’s governor appointed Senate Majority Leader Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, as Lieutenant Governor on Monday in Jefferson City.

Cole County Judge Patricia Joyce administers the oath of office to Mike Kehoe as Lieutenant Governor on June 18, 2018 (photo courtesy of Missouri Senate photographer Harrison Sweazea)

Governor Mike Parson (R) made the announcement at the Statehouse, saying the lieutenant governor position reassures Missourians that all operations of state government will continue.

Parson also praises Kehoe’s background.

“Throughout my career, I have witnessed the importance of steady, predictable and selfless leadership,” Parson says. “Being prepared and having experience matters.”

While the Missouri Constitution doesn’t specifically address how the lieutenant governor should be replaced when there’s a vacancy, former Attorney General and Governor Jay Nixon (D) says the Governor “has the authority to fill a vacancy in this office by appointment.”

Former Governors Matt Blunt (R) and Bob Holden (D) agree with this interpretation.

Governor Parson brought in attorneys Joe Bednar and Lowell Pearson for the announcement. Bednar served as chief legal counsel to Governor Mel Carnahan (D), and Pearson was chief legal counsel to Governor Blunt (R).

Parson says both men believe he has the authority to make the appointment.

Governor Parson told Missourinet earlier this month that he didn’t like the state being without a Lieutenant Governor.

The Bolivar Republican says infrastructure will be a top issue for Kehoe.

“He has served as a former commissioner of (the) Missouri Department of Transportation, and has a strong sense of the infrastructure challenges our state is facing,” says Parson.

Kehoe is a former chairman of Missouri’s Highways and Transportation Commission. He tells the Capitol Press Corps he agrees with the governor’s emphasis on infrastructure.

“I will do all I can to help him in that conversation and work with community leaders from urban and rural areas as well as MoDOT and others on the transportation infrastructure as well as, you know, other infrastructure that is out in our state,” Kehoe says.

Kehoe is pledging to work tirelessly, and tells Capitol reporters he’s grateful for the opportunity.

“When Governor Parson called and asked me to assist him in this role, it was one of the most monumental experiences of my life,” says Kehoe. “Like the governor, I believe that public service is a privilege that no one should take lightly.”

Kehoe grew up in north St. Louis, and has represented Cole County and several other mid-Missouri counties in the Senate since 2010.

He served as Senate Majority Leader from 2016 until Monday. He also owned and operated the Ford and Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Jefferson City for about 20 years.

Kehoe says “we are one Missouri” and that we can only move forward together.

You can listen to Kehoe’s comments here.

Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce (D) administered the oath of office to Kehoe. Both are parishioners at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Jefferson City.

Kehoe’s wife and children also attended the ceremony, as did his Senate staff and Monsignor Kurwicki of the Cathedral of St. Joseph.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Missouri Senator Blunt praises federal tax cut; hears concerns about labor shortage

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Missouri’s junior senator says the tax bill signed by President Donald Trump (R) in December is the most pro-growth tax bill ever passed by Congress.

Senator Roy Blunt addresses the Missouri House on April 4, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

During a recent roundtable discussion in Jefferson City, mid-Missouri business leaders said the tax cut has helped their companies. But they also told U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) that they are facing labor shortages.

“You know I think in the middle of the country it is particularly a problem right now, but we’re very close all over the country where there are more jobs available than the total number of people on the unemployment rolls. That’s never happened before,” Blunt says.

Missouri Retailers Association President David Overfelt says there’s currently a shortage of truck drivers, and another businessman told Senator Blunt there’s not enough workers in mid-Missouri for collision companies.

Blunt says the United States is in a “dynamic moment” in our economy.

Blunt, who serves on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, says the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017” has allowed numerous Missouri companies to reinvest in their workforce with bonuses and higher wages.

Senator Blunt tells Missourinet people have “a lot of confidence.”

“We doubled the child tax credit for a family of four that makes $75,000,” says Blunt. “That’s $2,000 more a year of their money that they get to spend.”

While he voted for the bill, U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) was one of 48 senators who voted against it.

McCaskill told reporters in Jefferson City in late March that “the pharmaceutical industry took a $50 billion windfall from that bill, gave it to their shareholders and didn’t lower the price of prescription drugs a penny.”

Senator McCaskill says 83 percent of the money will go to one percent of the country, under the bill.

She also says gains by working families will be offset by higher prescription drug prices.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Man attacked on St. Louis MetroLink; Missouri House committee has been investigating safety issues

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The St. Louis County Prosecutor has filed criminal charges against three suspects accused of this week’s assault on a MetroLink train.

MetroLink Map – Image courtesy of Metro St. Louis

Court documents say the victim was attacked by at least six suspects while riding the train between the Rock Road and UMSL South stations.

Court documents say the suspects allegedly kicked, punched and beat the male victim, who suffered an orbital bone fracture and other facial fractures.

The attack was recorded on surveillance video.

County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch (D) has charged Eddie Price, Jody Dale and Jahma Swanigan with first degree assault.

Court documents quote Dale as telling detectives that the assault was in retaliation for the victim allegedly stealing money and a gun from Dale’s aunt.

Online court documents show Price was arraigned this morning in Clayton, and that his bond has been set at $150,000.

Dale’s bond is $100,000 cash-only, and Swanigan’s bond is $75,000 cash-only.

Three additional suspects are being sought.

Monday’s assault on the MetroLink highlights the issue of crime and violence, an issue that was addressed during a March hearing of the Missouri House Subcommittee on Mass Transit Security in Jefferson City.

Thousands of people use the MetroLink to get to work daily, as well as to St. Louis Cardinal baseball and Blues hockey games.

MetroLink is a 46-mile, 37-station light rail system that stretches from St. Louis Lambert International Airport to Illinois.

Testimony from the March hearing in Jefferson City shows that ridership on the St. Louis system has plummeted from 17.5 million in fiscal year 2014 to 14.9 million in fiscal year 2017.

Bi-State Development President and CEO John Nations testified during that March hearing in Jefferson City, and was asked numerous questions from lawmakers about crime and safety concerns.

“There’s no question we saw an uptick in the incidents on our system, and security has been labeled by our passengers as their number one concern on the system,” Nations testified in March.

State Rep. Mark Matthiesen (R-Maryland Heights) speaks on the Missouri House floor on February 1, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Missouri House Subcommittee on Mass Transit Security Chairman Mark Matthiesen, R-Maryland Heights, issued a statement on Friday to Missourinet.

“I am deeply concerned about the man who was brutally attacked on MetroLink earlier this week. The St. Louis County PD has put forth an honest effort to better protect the riders on MetroLink, however it is obvious that more work needs to be done. A thorough investigation is underway to determine the motive for the attack. I anticipate that this crime will only be prevented when all law enforcement agencies are working together on every aspect of transportation security across the metro area.”

Chairman Matthiesen’s last sentence refers, in part, to testimony in March from Bi-State officials, who said that St. Louis County officers had threatened to arrest MetroLink light-rail officers.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Missouri’s Parson: “We cannot keep kicking that can down the road”

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COLUMBIA, Mo.- Missouri’s new governor said Wednesday in Columbia that infrastructure must be a top priority.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson shakes hands with state senators on June 11, 2018, before he addressed a joint session of the Legislature (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Governor Mike Parson (R) briefed reporters at the University of Missouri-Columbia’s campus.

“We cannot keep kicking that can down the road,” Parson said. “We’re going to have to face the fact that we gotta do something. At the end of the day it’s probably going to cost something.”

Missourians will cast ballots in November on a ten cent gasoline tax increase, which would be phased in over four years at 2.5 cents annually.

House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Reiboldt, R-Neosho, says he hopes Missourians see the need to fund both public safety and roads, with the November ballot issue.

Reiboldt describes the ballot measure as a public safety tax, which would fund the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the road and bridge fund.

“We need to have the people of Missouri where we can present to them what we feel like is the best avenues for the state of Missouri, and let the voters decide at the end of the day whether they want that or not,” said Parson.

Missouri’s current gasoline tax is 17 cents per gallon, which hasn’t been increased since 1996.

U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, tells Missourinet that Governor Parson discussed infrastructure and transportation during Monday’s meeting with the state’s congressional delegation in Jefferson City.

Meantime, the Missouri Housing Development Commission is expected to meet soon to discuss low-income housing tax credits.

New Governor Parson, who supports the tax credits, said changes are needed.

“For low-income housing, and I’ve always been supportive of the low-income housing, that’s not been a secret. But there does need to be reform. We need to do real reform in that,” Parson said.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson wears special goggles as he tours a research facility at Mizzou in Columbia on June 13, 2018 (Brian Hauswirth photo)

The Missouri Housing Development Commission, which was established in 1969, administers and provides financing for construction of affordable housing.

During a brief press conference at Mizzou’s Gwynn Hall, a reporter also asked Parson if he’ll use the state airplane.

“We’ll be using the state plane when we feel like it’s appropriate to use it. We’ll drive when we can, but yeah I think right now there’s nothing more important than traveling the state trying to find out what are the issues facing all the communities and all of the people of Missouri,” said Parson.

Governor Parson also said businesses must be involved in partnerships with colleges and universities. Parson toured Mizzou Wednesday morning with UM System President Dr. Mun Choi, Mizzou leaders, state lawmakers and reporters.

Parson also traveled to southeast Missouri’s Gordonville and Sikeston on Wednesday, and ended the day at Cortex in St. Louis.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet