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St. Louis Lambert International Airport checkpoint expansion highlights growth (AUDIO)

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St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) officials have announced that they’ve finished a checkpoint expansion project that creates a seventh security screening lane that will be used during peak hours in terminal two.

This is terminal two at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (photo courtesy of St. Louis Lambert International Airport)

Lambert spokesman Jeff Lea says the airport has been coordinating the project with the TSA.

“We’ve gone from six to seven (lanes),” Lea says. “This was crucial because we’ve seen just an expansion of flights out of terminal two from Southwest and thus passenger growth.”

Lea notes the TSA conducted more than 2.8 million passenger screenings in 2017 in terminal two, a 5.5 percent increase. He says the new checkpoint expansion in that terminal will help accommodate that growth.

“And we’ve partnered with the TSA to really achieve an opportunity to reduce the waiting times and get a faster throughpoint for our passengers so they can make it to the secure side and get to their gates and onto their flights on time,” says Lea.

Terminal two mainly houses gates for Dallas-based Southwest Airlines. Lea says Southwest added new service from St. Louis to San Jose and Sacramento earlier this month.

Meantime, you’ll soon be able to fly nonstop from St. Louis to Iceland. Lea tells Missourinet the additional lane will also accommodate the new international service on WOW air between St. Louis and Iceland.

“The service begins four days a week but it begins May 17th and in June it will expand to five days a week, adding a Sunday flight,” Lea says.

Lea says he’s hearing “nothing but positive news” about ticket sales.

He says Lambert officials are currently working with WOW air to get terminal two set up for them to operate.

Lea says WOW air will take over counter space adjacent to the Southwest counters, and will operate from gate E-29.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and St. Louis Lambert International Airport spokesman Jeff Lea, which was recorded on April 18, 2018:

Study says University of Missouri System has $5.4 billion annual impact

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An eight-month study by national consulting firm Tripp Umbach illustrates the UM System has a $5.4 billion annual financial influence on the state. The 2017 fiscal year analysis factors in things like payroll and benefits, taxes paid to local and state governments, student spending, community benefits and visitors expenses.

Image courtesy of University of Missouri

“Given that our annual appropriations from the state are approximately $400 million each year, this means that taxpayers are receiving a return on their investment of 13.5 to 1, an impressive number,” says Mark McIntosh, UM System vice president of Research and Economic Development. “A vast number of our graduates are staying in Missouri and putting their education to the test in our workforce while our faculty across the four campuses are conducting research that addresses grand challenges facing our state and nation. This significant combination of workforce development and innovative discoveries in our labs is impacting thousands of Missourians every day.”

According to Paul Umbach, President and CEO of Tripp Umbach, he says the University of Missouri’s economic reach is far and wide throughout the state. He says UM fares better than several other university systems in its financial impact, including the Universities of Iowa, Connecticut and Pittsburg.

“One thing that’s different about Missouri than other states, is that there are large economic engines in the two principal cities and also in Rolla. And, Extension has spending in every one of the counties. There’s a lot of universities that pretty much have all their eggs in one place, but the University of Missouri System actually has spending in the other markets around the state,” Umbach says. “I feel like that is part of the magic of this system. Missouri is like a country – it’s the most urban place and the most rural place all in one place. From an economist perspective, that generates even more economic development when you have such diversity.”

Highlights of the study include:

  • More than $244 million in state and local revenue taxes collected because of the university by way of taxes on sales, food, gas, lodging, etc.
  • More than 61,000 people have jobs either directly or indirectly because of the system.
  • Of the four campuses, Mizzou has the greatest impact by far: $3.9 billion, $46,855 jobs, $117.4 million generated in state and local tax revenue.

The $50,000 study did not review the economic impact of MU’s athletics department. A previous study completed by a team of MBA faculty and students found that MU athletics contributed approximately $294 million to the local and state economies.

The research comes as the Missouri Legislature considers the level of funding for the state’s colleges and universities.

To view the report, click here.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

MoDOT worker who had close call: “I’m begging people to buckle up, put your phones down”

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Another day at the office for a Missouri Department of Transportation worker was almost his last. Justin Sundell, a seven-year MoDOT maintenance worker from southeast Missouri’s Salem, recalls flagging drivers to stop in a work zone when he noticed a car that was not slowing down.

Photos courtesy of MoDOT

Sundell attempted to slow him down by waving his stop paddle. Then came the screeching of tires and brakes.

“If he would have struck the vehicle I had stopped, it would have shoved the vehicle into me,” Sundell says during a press conference this week in Jefferson City to recognize National Work Zone Awareness Week.

Once Sundell let the stopped cars drive away, the driver who nearly hit him pulled up alongside Sundell and screamed “Why are you out here flagging with no signs?”

Sundell says the driver had his phone in his hand the entire time and missed three signs alerting motorists to prepare to stop.

“I’m begging people, when you’re driving a motor vehicle, please buckle up and put your phone down. We all want to go home safe each and every single night,” he says.

State law requires motorists to move over when they see flashing lights used by first responders, state workers and tow truck drivers. Is Missouri’s “Move Over Law” working?

From 2012 to 2017, 59 people were killed in work zone crashes on state and local highways in Missouri. Since 2000, MoDOT has lost 19 workers in the line of duty. According to Missouri State Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Sandy Karsten, 17 state troopers were struck roadside in Missouri in 2017.

According to MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna, a work zone crash occurs every 5.4 minutes in the United States. He says work zone collisions are climbing nationwide and calls the issue a national epidemic. He points to the rise of cell phones as one of the most significant changes in the last decade.

The Missouri Department of Transportation is gearing up for its busy road construction season by increasing its safety measures. Workers will be using in more work zones rumble strips on roads and red and blue lights on contractor vehicles, especially heavily-traveled routes and winding paths.

The cost of flashing lights is about $550 per vehicle and $9,500 for a set of six rumble strips. Len Toenjes, president of Missouri Associated General Contractors, says he wishes the added expenses weren’t necessary.

“This doesn’t cost MoDOT anything. It costs the people who are paying MoDOT everything. It costs the people driving, who are paying their fuel taxes, who are paying their fees, those are dollars that go into protective materials rather than concrete, asphalt, roadways, bridges, all the things that we really need to be spending that money on. There again, the more people pay attention, the more we can dedicate resources to long-term things rather than spending it on protecting people,” Toenjes says.

During heavy road construction season, expect several work zones on Interstates 70, 44, 64, 55, 270, and U.S. Route 65.

Copyright © 2018 ·

Roundup of Sunday weather related traffic problems across Missouri

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State Troopers in the Kansas City area responded to more than 300 calls yesterday including 144 crashes with nine injuries. The agency was urging people to drive at appropriate speeds, given the treacherous conditions, and was predicting more hazardous conditions overnight into this morning.

The Missouri Highway Patrol said they had 76 crashes reported in the St. Louis area last evening between 3-and-9 pm.  Troopers reported a total of 107 calls for service with 31 stranded drivers and four injuries in addition to the crashes.

A wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain led to at least 20 crashes on roads in the Springfield area Sunday night.  Police agencies were advising residents to check for roads conditions before leaving for work and school Monday morning.

A rare April snowfall yesterday caused dozens of accidents on mid-Missouri roads. Record low temperatures have been experienced in the city of Columbia this morning.

 

 

Schroer: “Waylon Jennings’ music lives in the hearts of many Missourians” (AUDIO)

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Legislation that would designate part of Highway P in eastern Missouri’s St. Charles County as the “Waylon Jennings Memorial Highway” has been heard by the Missouri House Transportation Committee in Jefferson City.

State Rep. Nick Schroer speaks to the Capitol Press Corps in December 2017 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, says constituents asked him to file it.

“Waylon Jennings has to be one of my favorite country music stars,” Schroer says. “I think he’s kind of set the tone for what country music is, what it should be about.”

Schroer tells Missourinet this stretch of Highway P goes from O’Fallon to Lincoln County, and reminds him of a popular television show called the “Dukes of Hazzard.”

Waylon Jennings, the show’s narrator, wrote and sang the theme song, which was called “Good ‘Ol Boys.”

Schroer has a tattoo of Jennings, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

The biggest hit of Jennings’ career was “Good ‘Ol Boys”, which at one time was the number one song on the Billboard country singles chart.

“This stretch of Highway P goes from O’Fallon into St. Paul. It eventually ends up going into Troy (Missouri). But it’s a very wooded area on both sides. There’s some farms out there,” says Schroer.

The Missouri House Transportation Committee is expected to vote on the bill in April.

While Jennings never lived in Missouri, Schroer tells Missourinet Jennings performed on tour in the Show-Me State many times.

Jennings died in 2002, after reportedly battling diabetes.

Under the bill, the highway signs would be paid for by private donations.

Schroer hopes a “Waylon Jennings Memorial Highway” would be a tourist attraction for that area. He envisions I-70 travelers stopping off to visit the highway and eating at the local restaurants there.

Time could be the biggest challenge to Schroer’s bill. The 2018 session ends May 18.

Schroer is still optimistic.

He notes there are country music fans in the Missouri Senate, and says his measure could be attached to a Senate bill.

 

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and State Rep. Nick Schroer, which was recorded on March 22, 2018:

MetroLink officials tell Missouri lawmakers they need a dedicated transit police force (AUDIO)

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Ridership on the MetroLink light-rail system in St. Louis has dropped from 17.5 million in fiscal year 2014 to 14.9 million in fiscal year 2017.

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)

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

Bi-State Development President and CEO John Nations testified recently before the Missouri House Subcommittee on Mass Transit Security in Jefferson City.

“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 says.

Nations tells Missouri lawmakers that riders are complaining about loud music, obscene language and “bad behavior” on these trains.

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

Bi-State Development communications director Patti Beck tells Missourinet ridership is down 11 percent in fiscal year 2018.

Metro Transit Public Safety Chief Richard Zott testifies they need a dedicated transit police force.

“When you police a transit system, it’s critical that you have a lot of visibility,” Zott testifies. “And that means your officers have to be on the trains all the time, not for an hour, not for two hours, all the time.”

Zott tells the subcommittee that St. Louis County has 44 officers dedicated to MetroLink security, and St. Louis City has nine officers.

Zott says there are about 120 private security officers, primarily on platforms. Some of the private security officers also handle fare enforcement.

He says Metro has security as well, and that St. Clair County, Illinois now has 15 officers.

The trains cross the Mississippi River into Illinois.

Subcommittee Chairman State Rep. Mark Matthiesen, R-Maryland Heights, says some of his constituents in Maryland Heights and St. Charles won’t ride MetroLink to Cardinal games in St. Louis, because of crime concerns.

“Many people are simply afraid for their lives right now and would rather drive to the ballgame (Busch Stadium) instead of take MetroLink and are willing to pay that $20 parking fee just to ensure they get there safely,” Matthiesen says.

Zott tells lawmakers there are cameras on the MetroLink trains, along with emergency buttons on platforms. Zott says the drivers have alarms.

Chairman Matthiesen tells Missourinet he was shocked to hear testimony from Bi-State officials, who say St. Louis County officers had threatened to arrest MetroLink light-rail officers.

Matthiesen says he’s also concerned to hear that some crime data hasn’t been given to Bi-State Development, which operates the MetroLink.

“I think it’s time that we get all parties to the table to take a look at how we are handling the crime, what we can do to improve it, and more importantly it seems like there’s a breakdown of cooperation from agency to agency,” says Matthiesen.

MetroLink officials testify that St. Louis Police have been riding the trains with their officers, saying visibility is a deterrent.

Richmond Heights Police have also stationed officers on the platforms, near the Saint Louis Galleria shopping center.

 

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and State Rep. Mark Matthiesen, R-Maryland Heights, which was recorded at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on March 14, 2018:

Budget moving to House floor restores some funding for MoDOT

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The Budget being debated Tuesday in the Missouri House includes $82 million in additional funding for road projects, according to a state representative.

Rep. Craig Redmon (R-Canton)

Republican Craig Redmon of Canton, who sits on the chamber’s Budget Committee, says the money is coming from the transportation reserve fund.

“We want to be careful not to spend down their reserves,” said Redmon.  “We are spending down some of that reserve, but we still have a lot of projects out there that also need to get done.  So, we felt like this was a good use of that money.  But we are going to keep a careful eye on those reserve amounts to make sure that we’re not digging ourselves a hole.”

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) reserve fund will have a balance of $693 million if the full legislature and the governor sign on to the plan being sent to the House floor.  It was $800 million in 2016.  The agency projects that figure will drop to $200 million by 2024 if the state fails to boost overall funding for transportation.

According to MoDOT Government Relations Director Jay Wunderlich, the $82 million reinstates all of the money the department requested for the upcoming fiscal year that starts in July.

It totals $163 million, which is 80% financed by federal matching funds.  The federal government provides $4 in matching money for every $1 the state spends on road projects.

Redmon says the Budget Committee released $82 million with the understanding that MoDOT would identify projects that would be addressed.

“They have not been identified yet, but it’s my understanding that MoDOT was going to provide us a list of those projects in the near future.”

Several pressing needs have been identified across the state by the department.  Among them are replacement bridges over the Missouri River in Kansas City and mid-Missouri’s Rocheport.

The $82 million coming through the legislative budget is a drop in the bucket of the overall funding picture for MODOT.  It amounts to roughly 10% of the additional $825 million a year that MODOT Director Patrick McKenna says the agency needs to properly maintain roads and bridges.

State Representative Greg Razor, D-Kansas City

There’s a lot of agreement among lawmakers that the state needs to make a substantial investment in transportation before crumbling infrastructure becomes a major problem.  Democratic Representative Greg Razor of Kansas City says the legislature has come to a day of reckoning with the issue.

“We keep kicking the can down the road,” said Razor.  “And its finally time that we become responsible legislators, sit down and find a solution so that we can protect the investment that our parents and grandparents made in the state, and move us forward so that our kids have a bright opportunity and safe roads to travel.”

MODOT received the lions share of its funding through the state motor fuel tax and various registration fees.

There are several bills in the legislature that call for an increase in the state fuel tax which hasn’t changed since 1996.  Any significant change such as proposals to hike the gas tax by 10 cents a gallon and the diesel tax by 12 cents would require a public vote for approval.

Missouri’s current fuel tax of 17 cents per gallon is lower than any surrounding state except for Oklahoma.  The state ranks 46th in the nation in revenue per mile, largely because its road system is so large.  Unlike most other states, Missouri maintains county roads (lettered highways) at the state level, making it the seventh largest network of roads in the country.

Richardson is hopeful Missouri House will decide on transportation funding solution by May

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The Missouri House will tackle the transportation issue when members return from spring break next week.

Missouri House Speaker Pro Tem Elijah Haahr testifies before the Ways and Means Committee on March 5, 2018 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Republicans control the Missouri House 115-47. There are two main House GOP proposals to provide funding for Missouri’s deteriorating roads and bridges.

House Speaker Pro Tem Elijah Haahr’s tax legislation would index vehicle user fees to the cost of inflation.

Haahr, R-Springfield, notes the state’s current vehicle license and registration fees haven’t changed in more than 30 years.

Haahr testifies that change would generate about $174 million annually for the state’s road fund, and about $58 million annually for counties.

House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Reiboldt, R-Neosho, has a bill that would place a ten-cent gasoline tax increase before voters in November.

Missouri’s fuel tax hasn’t been increased since 1996. Supporters of the Reiboldt bill say ten-cent gasoline and 12-cent diesel tax increases would raise about $430 million annually.

Lawmakers left Jefferson City for their spring break on Thursday afternoon.

Missouri House Speaker Todd Richardson, surrounded by House Republicans, briefs the Capitol Press Corps on March 15, 2018 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Before they left, House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, briefed the Capitol Press Corps, and Missourinet asked him about transportation and the two competing House GOP proposals.

Speaker Richardson says his chamber will discuss transportation funding after the break.

“Obviously I think the one thing that you do see that’s consistent within the (House Republican) caucus is a desire to have more funding for our transportation infrastructure,” Richardson says.

Missouri House and Senate members return to Jefferson City on March 26.

“We’ll continue to have the discussions about the different ways that we can achieve that (transportation funding), and I’m hopeful that by the end of the session we’ll have settled on a solution,” says Richardson.

The Haahr bill, which is a 429-page bill that involves tax reform, has been approved by the House Ways and Means committee on a 6-3 party-line vote.

The three Democrats who voted no have concerns about an unrelated provision involving the “circuit breaker” senior citizen property tax credit for renters.

Haahr’s bill is expected to hit the House floor after the spring break.

The House Transportation Committee held a hearing on Reiboldt’s bill on Wednesday. The committee hasn’t voted on the bill yet.

Missouri’s 21st century transportation system task force is recommending a ten-cent gasoline tax increase and a 12-cent diesel tax increase.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has testified that the average Missouri driver would pay an extra $5 per month, under that task force recommendation.

Reiboldt notes the state’s gas tax has been at 17-cents-a-gallon since 1996.

Popular theatre in small Missouri town would be state’s official theatre, under bill being considered (AUDIO)

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Legislation that would designate the Lyceum Theatre in west-central Missouri’s Arrow Rock as the official state theatre was heard this week by a Missouri House committee in Jefferson City.

The Lyceum Theatre is located in Arrow Rock, a town of 56 people (photo courtesy of Lyceum Theatre website)

State Rep. Dave Muntzel, R-Boonville, tells Missourinet that the theatre has a huge impact on the small town of 56 people.

“There’s two or three little restaurants, little shops and everything and they wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for the Lyceum Theatre,” Muntzel says.

The 416-seat theatre held its first performance in 1961 and attracted more than 40,000 patrons in 2017, according to testimony at the hearing.

The theatre has an orchestra, and the audience is part of the show.

“People come from all over, especially neighboring states and come here and make a day trip of this, you know and so, because of the restaurants and the little shops and then the entertainment,” says Muntzel.

Arrow Rock, which is north of I-70 and northwest of Boonville, is located in Saline County. The town is surrounded by corn fields.

The entire village has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Muntzel testified this week before the House Special Committee on Tourism. He says that the thousands of people who visit the town enjoy Broadway-caliber productions, and that artists from as far away as New York City are involved.

“We’re looking at the Missouri heritage and how long it’s been there and it’s right in the middle of the state, and it’s like I said in there (Capitol hearing room), it’s just got Missouri stamped all over the theatre,” Muntzel says.

The crowd at this week’s hearing was standing-room only, as supporters and theatre board members packed the room.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) notes that the Arrow Rock State Historic Site includes the J. Huston Tavern, which dates back to 1834. DNR’s website notes the tavern “provides a dining experience in the oldest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi River.”

The Lyceum became the first Missouri theatre to receive an award from the Missouri Arts Council, in 1983.

It’s located at 114 High Street in Arrow Rock.

 

Click here to listen to Missourinet news director Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Dave Muntzel, R-Boonville, which was recorded on March 14, 2018 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

 

St. Patty’s weekend includes troop-wide Missouri State Patrol enforcement

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Online finance website Wallethub ranks St. Louis 11th, Kansas City 69th and Springfield 123rd among U.S. cities for their St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is having a troop-wide special enforcement operation this weekend to focus on drivers who might go overboard on celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. Other Missouri law enforcement agencies are also boosting patrols this weekend.

Those spending the weekend on Missouri’s waterways can also expect to see troopers keeping an eye on water activities. Patrol Sgt. Scott White tells Missourinet law enforcement officers have the same goal – to keep people safe.

“There’s not necessarily an emphasis on the major roadways,” says White. “It’s troop-wide. It’s every one of those roadways that officers are going to keep an eye on.”

White says getting a ticket for drunk driving is the least of your worries.

“If you do get cited for it, if you do get arrested, you’re looking at fines, you’re looking at higher insurance, you’re looking at possible jail time. In addition to that, you’re going to get your driver’s license suspended or revoked or a number of things. It’s very inconvenient and it’s expensive,” he says. “The costs are just compounded. You have the attorney fees. You have the fines. You have the driver’s license fees. You have the time off of work to go into court.”

During last year’s St. Patty’s weekend enforcement, the patrol handled two fatality crashes statewide. He says the most important part to remember is that drunk drivers can easily kill someone.

“People have to understand that driving is the first privilege we earn in our lives that allows us to kill another human being without any intent whatsoever. That’s what people have to remember is that every one of these DWI arrests, every one of these DWI crashes that we work are completely preventable. They do not have to happen,” he says.

White also says about 66% of the people killed in Missouri vehicle crashes this year were not wearing their seatbelts.