MoDOT  Has Started Adding Rock Mixture to Road Edges

   February 4, 2010

 by Dianne Sudbrock

 

 

Thanks directly to efforts by the SOS (Shoulders fOr Safety) Group, MoDOT has started added a rock mixture along both sides of Hwy. D, and will be addressing Hwy. DD and other area highways in upcoming weeks as weather permits. NOTE:  This rock edging is NOT to be considered shoulders. This is simply routine maintenance work that will help eliminate the sharpness of the drop off at the edge of the pavement and hopefully improve safety somewhat. This work was initiated after MoDOT Chief Engineer, Kevin Keith, heard a presentation by the SOS group at a Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission meeting in early December.

Adding the rock is the first in a number of positive steps that have occurred since the group initiated an efforts to get shoulders last fall. Following is a quick summary of other activities:

•  KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis has interviewed members of the group and will be running a story about the need for shoulders in late February (probably during sweeps week.)

•  MoDOT has begun design work to add a 3-4 foot paved shoulders to Hwy. D and DD. Design work to add shoulders along Hwy. 94 south to Defiance is nearly complete. No construction dollars are currently available to build shoulders, but in the event money becomes available, having the design work finished will help get these projects funded.

 

 

 

 

 


The Boone Country Connection

is published by

The Write Design, 1734 Schnarre Road

Foristell, MO 63348

 

Dianne Sudbrock, Editor and Publisher

636-332-3050

boonecc@centurytel.net

 


•  On January 7, 2010 SOS met with MoDOT representatives and a Fred Weber representative. Priorities were discussed and generally agreed upon in regard to the order in which routes will be addressed. SOS and MoDOT will continue to work together as plans move forward and construction funding possibilities present themselves.

•  Fred Weber Inc. expressed a willingness to contribute a substantial amount of rock to assist in getting shoulders added to routes tentatively identified, which include Highways D, DD, F, Z, N east of Z, and Hwy. 94. How this material is provided to the job site and whether some of the material is used for the maintenance work is open to discussion. After MoDOT begins work to address edge drop-offs, MoDOT will work with Fred Weber on the possibilities of using some of the available material. MoDOT will also discuss with St. Charles County the possibility of using this material to construct permanent improvements as part of a cost share project.

•  SOS representatives continue to contact elected officials and attend public meetings to keep their concerns in the forefront. They are trying to schedule meetings with Governor Jay Nixon and 9th District Congressional Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer.

•  Magnets and T-shirts are being sold to raise awareness. A website and Facebook page are updated regularly to keep the public informed.

 

 

Possible Grant Requests:

The SOS group recently received a suggestion from a representative in Senator Kit Bond’s office to look into applying for possible funding through Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. The group will be researching available programs and may pursue writing one or more grant applications. If the group goes forward with those applications, local elected officials, businesses, and community organizations may be contacted and asked to write letters in support of the effort. 

 

Volunteers Needed:

The SOS group is seeking assistance in the form of increased participation from people in the community.  (SOS is a small group of concerned citizens doing this on an entirely volunteer basis. They need a few more hands to help out.) In order to keep attention focused on the effort, individuals are needed to attend meetings, contact elected officials, make phone calls, etc. Anyone interested is urged to contact the group via email at shouldersforsafety@yahoo.com for more information.  Also, the community is urged to follow the progress of the group and stay informed of current activities at www.shouldersforsafety.org or follow the group on Facebook.

NOTE: Some information for this article from the SOS website.