MoDOT builds a sidewalk

Waiting for MoDOT by zaskem on FlickR

After all, MoDOT is supposed to be the Department of Transportation and even in Missouri six or seven percent of all transportation trips are on foot or on bike.

So you would think that bicycling and walking would be a part--a small part, perhaps, but a part--of every project that is in a place where people might be bicycling or walking.

But we know that MoDOT's history over the past seven decades or so has been to build few or no sidewalks, fewer bike lanes, and only the occasional shoulder.  Until the 1990s, MoDOT's policy was to build no sidewalks or bike lanes at all.

All that has changed in the past two decades.  MoDOT's internal policies have slowly but surely been updated--the most recent significant change being an improvement in the pedestrian policies officially adopted last month.  

The new pedestrian policy requires that pedestrian accommodations be considered in every MoDOT project and made a matter of discussion in every public meeting. The policy instructs local MoDOT districts to make contact with user groups who have detailed knowledge about local conditions and can give feedback on what pedestrians really need in each local area.

Over the past few years MoDOT has also worked to change its internal culture so that these internal policies are followed more closely as projected are planned, designed, and built.

The result is a whole series of ordinary projects like these, that signal a real change in the way MoDOT is handling projects:

• Route OO in Holts Summit: Nearly 2,000 feet of sidewalk will be added on the north side of the roadway near the Moser's store to Winterwood Estates.  The work is being completed to improve safety by increasing roadway capacity and improving pedestrian access.
  
  
• Route 1 in Gladstone: Improvements include the addition of new sidewalks and pedestrian accommodations at intersections to improve safety, increase mobility, and provide better access for pedestrians in the area. In addition to the sidewalk improvements, the city of Gladstone provided a bus shelter near the intersection of Route 1 and 72nd Street to enhance the riding experience for the many riders using the services of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. 
  
  
• Route 169 – Sidewalk improvements from Route 92 to Route KK in Smithville.
  
  
• Route 60 in Van Buren - This project encompasses .116 miles of sidewalk improvements, from Alexander St. to Oliver St., and from Main St. to Sycamore St., in Van Buren, Mo. The upgraded sidewalks will meet Americans with Disability Act (ADA) standards.
  
  
• Route B in Ste Genevieve County - Meyer also explained the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission (SEMO RPC) prioritized this project and specifically requested paved shoulders.