MoDOT Wins Big In Awards Competition

Wins Three of Six Statewide Honors

              JEFFERSON CITY - The Missouri Department of Transportation recently won several awards for its efforts to cut costs and improve transportation services.   Of six awards for quality and productivity presented to state agencies by Gov. Matt Blunt, MoDOT won three.

"I'm honored and thrilled that MoDOT's work was singled out in this way," said department director Pete Rahn.   "We've worked very hard to provide transportation services better, faster and cheaper.   These awards show our work is paying off."

MoDOT was recognized for its use of Practical Design -- a new concept for highway design that will allow the department to save nearly $400 million over the next five years.   Practical Design involves customizing projects to fit specific needs, rather than applying generic standards across the board.   The money saved will fund additional projects.

"Our goal is to build the best transportation system in the country," Rahn said.   "The bottom line to Practical Design is that MoDOT will be fixing more roads in Missouri."

The department received a second award for its Kansas City Scout program.   One of the most advanced transportation management systems in the country, Kansas City Scout uses an extensive traffic operations system to keep traffic flowing smoothly in the Kansas City area.   Elements include 88 closed circuit cameras, 38 dynamic message signs, a highway advisory radio system and hundreds of vehicle detector stations.   Kansas City Scout maximizes roadway capacity, reduces air pollution, improves emergency response times and provides safer freeway travel.

MoDOT was also honored as one of a group of state agencies improving management of the state's vehicle fleet.   The Fleet Management Team reduced commuting in state vehicles by 74 percent, eliminated more than 1,100 underutilized vehicles, increased vehicle efficiency by 18 percent, and created the Trip Optimizer, an interactive web application to help employees determine the most cost effective mode of travel.

Editor's note:   Recorded comments on this topic from MoDOT Director Pete Rahn are available by calling MoDOT's sound bite service at 1-866-847-7173 or visiting www.modot.org/newsroom.