Modot

Springfield, MO--Before you even think of snow or ice--Missouri Department of Transportation buys salt and other products in the middle of summer to prepare for whatever old man winter may bring.  Even if a blizzard hit today crews at MODOT say everything is in place to keep roads open.  "All of that is ready to go so that when we do have winter weather strike our crews are ready to go, equipment is ready to go, and our material is ready to go. "...

Springfield, MO--"There are given days you're out here having a BBQ and it's a little louder than I'd like to have it. " says Gregg Peterson who has lived in the Quail Creek Subdivision just south of James River Freeway since 1987.  He is used to the noise and doesn't mind it too much most of the time This summer MODOT will add another lane in both directions on James River Freeway from Campbell to Kansas Expressway.  "It's going to be more noisy...

KSPR News This Morning talked live with MoDOT officials today about how roads around the region are looking this morning and what drivers can expect the rest of the day.

With MoDOT announcing $512 million in cuts Wednesday, questions are being brought up on how this will effect us here in Springfield. But officials say work will still be done like usual when the first snowflake falls. As the owner of Case's Corner, Cathy case says slower days are nice to have every once in a while. Even her 4-year-old granddaughter and dogs are enjoying the down time. But last winter, it was a different story. "The highways were horrible," she says.

Call it Growing Pains for the Queen City. Work to widen Campbell Avenue at Republic Road is expected to cause major traffic congestion at the intersection this week. The Missouri Department of transportation says the delays, especially for traffic on Republic Road, will last for 4 to 6 weeks. Here's what you can expect: Republic Road will be reduced to one lane in each direction. Drivers will have to make right turns and left turns from the through lanes. Big trucks will NOT be able to make right turns off of northbound Campbell Avenue or off of eastbound Republic Road because there will not be adequate room.

MoDOT officials met Monday to talk about planned cuts to its budget. And slashing nearly 12-hundred jobs statewide. MoDOT officials say they need to make more than a half-billion dollars in cuts and have proposed downsizing its operations from ten districts to seven. US representative Joann Emerson was in Willow Springs at the meeting to endorse an eight district plan which would keep the Willow Springs District offices open. Officials say the roughly 400 MoDOT jobs in Willow Springs represent about 13-percent of the city's economy.

The Missouri Department of Transportation will hold a series of community briefings throughout May to explain a plan to restructure in light of a lack of funding. MoDOT released its Bolder Five-Year Direction plan Wednesday, May 4th. The agency says the plan will result in an initial savings of $512 million, and an average of $100 million per year thereafter. The plan will reduce staff by 1,200 workers and eliminate 135 facilities and 744 pieces of equipment. Some district offices will be closed, including Willow Springs and Joplin.

Three Ozarks towns want the Missouri Highway Department to reconsider a plan that would close several MoDOT offices and cut hundreds of jobs. The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission is scheduled to vote June 8 on closing offices in Joplin, Willow Springs and Macon. Joplin, Webb City, Carthage and the Harry S. Truman Coordinating Council are asking the department to delay the vote for 90 days. The Missouri Farm Bureau also issued a statement saying the closings could have serious repercussions for rural Missouri because the offices help rural areas with services like maintenance and snow removal.

HERMITAGE, Mo -- A MoDOT project is facing roadblocks even before construction begins. People in Hickory County don't want engineers to close a highway to repair a bridge. Highway 254 is the only direct road between the Hickory County's biggest town - Hermitage - and the county's most popular attraction - the lake. The bridge over the Pomme De Terre River, however, needs work - and soon. A piece of it broke off last summer. MoDOT announced plans to shut down the bridge for 45 days next year for construction.

Bad economic news for the Ozarks: MoDOT has announced a new proposal to slash 1,200 jobs, including many in the Ozarks. Trying to make up a budget shortfall of half a billion dollars, MoDOT's director is proposing to consolidate the ten regional district offices into seven, and that includes getting rid of its district in Willow Springs. It's been there since 1923 and currently employs 124 people. Barbara Conner is one of those workers and she says losing that office would be a huge blow to the her community.

HERMITAGE, Mo -- A MoDOT project is facing roadblocks even before construction begins. People in Hickory County don't want engineers to close a highway to repair a bridge. Highway 254 is the only direct road between the Hickory County's biggest town - Hermitage - and the county's most popular attraction - the lake. The bridge over the Pomme De Terre River, however, needs work - and soon. A piece of it broke off last summer. MoDOT announced plans to shut down the bridge for 45 days next year for construction.

Springfield, MO--"It's kind of a waiting game. " says Mike Stafford with the City of Springfield Public Works.  Today his workers pre-loaded trucks full of salt.  The salt helps to melt the snow and sleet but if it turns to rain they won't treat the roads because the material would just wash off. "If it's more of a snow/sleet mixture we will probably try to pre-treat before it hits Springfield.  It helps break the bond between ice and snow on...

Springfield, MO--"There are given days you're out here having a BBQ and it's a little louder than I'd like to have it. " says Gregg Peterson who has lived in the Quail Creek Subdivision just south of James River Freeway since 1987.  He is used to the noise and doesn't mind it too much most of the time This summer MODOT will add another lane in both directions on James River Freeway from Campbell to Kansas Expressway.  "It's going to be more noisy...

Springfield, MO--"It's kind of pick and choose as to where your lane of travel is. " says Jim Hudson.  Hudson has worked for Springfield Yellow Cab for nearly 2 years and before that he drove a big rig for 18 years.  He is a veteran of the roads.  Even for him sometimes it is hard to tell which lane he is in. "Some of the paint is so worn on the streets.  You get a little moisture on there and you just lose it. " says Hudson.  He says some of...

Springfield, MO--Before you even think of snow or ice--Missouri Department of Transportation buys salt and other products in the middle of summer to prepare for whatever old man winter may bring.  Even if a blizzard hit today crews at MODOT say everything is in place to keep roads open.  "All of that is ready to go so that when we do have winter weather strike our crews are ready to go, equipment is ready to go, and our material is ready to go. "...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo -- Don't be the emergency -- that's the message firefighters are sending to Springfield drivers. Springfield's fire trucks are big, yellow and known to make a lot of noise, but firefighters say drivers aren't paying attention to them like they should. They say that could create more emergencies on top of the ones they're answering. "We expect drivers to move to the right, but they'll stop in the middle of the street or they'll pull left," firefighter Chad Davis tells KSPR News.

NIXA, Mo. - If you live in Christian County, MoDOT wants to share its plans for 2 intersections in the Ozark-Nixa area. A meeting is being held Thursday night about Cheyenne Road. It runs between between Route 14 and CC. Anyone who is interested in the changes can attend the meeting scheduled for 4 p.m. at Nixa School's Administration Center on Main Street. The total cost of the project, which is broken up into two parts, will be more than $4 million. Both projects are expected to be complete in 2014.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.--If you're starting a four-day work week today, here's a look at what's happening in the Ozarks. Christian County is training people to be part of its Community Emergency Response Team . Classes start today, and continue every Tuesday and Thursday in September. Your dog can enjoy a nice swim at Fassnight Pool in Springfield before the water is drained. The Dog Swim starts at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon. Admission is $8 for one dog and one owner. MoDOT starts work on the West Bypass bridge at Interstate 44. If you take that route, expect lane closings and delays for awhile.

Business owners in Osage Beach have a new message if you drive by: "Don't leave our end dead" The locals blame MoDOT for poor planning. They said the Hwy 54 Expressway's new plans cut off their main artery for traffic. It didn't help that MoDOT closed some intersections because of high crash rates. Kim Loehr has owned a business in the district for 25 years. She's leading the effort to bring her end of the highway back to life. She's got the city's attention - and now she wants the tourists to speak up. "We've invested in this area," Loehr tells KSPR News.

As MoDOT engineers review safety plans along Highway 54 through Lake of the Ozarks, worried business owners take their own initiative. On Monday, they meet with state representatives to explain how MoDOT road closures cut off their customers. MoDOT's $158 million expressway through the Lake of the Ozarks region only opened a year ago, but officials say high crash rates force them to re-evaluate some traffic patterns. As a temporary solution, MoDOT set up orange cones and road closure signs to limit some turns.