News and Information from September 2021

A Message from the Executive Director

September turned out to be a fruitful month for SEMPO. After striking out with our Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan RFP we decided to try our chances again and reissued the solicitation on September 8 with proposals due back September 29. The second time proved to be the charm as we received three separate proposals to help us develop the plan. I have provided copies of the proposals to our EV Readiness Plan Steering Committee who will be reviewing and scoring the documents. Depending on the Steering Committee's assessment, we could have a recommendation to the SEMPO Board in the near future. While we are getting a slightly later start on this project due to the unsuccessful first solicitation, we should be in a good position to have the project wrapped up or near completion by the end of our fiscal year. 

Continuing our good fortune, we also received six separate submissions of qualifications in response to our General Services Agreement (GSA) RFQ. The purpose of this solicitation was to enter into an agreement for transportation planning services. SEMPO conducted a similar solicitation in 2016 and entered into 5-year GSA's with the selected firms. This was a renewal of this process and was successful attracting several new firms to participate. The qualifications will be reviewed by SEMPO staff and select members of our Transportation Planning Committee. The Cape Girardeau City Council will consider the GSA's given SEMPO's recommendations. 

Infrastructure Legislation

I was hopeful to be able to provide news about infrastructure legislation, but at the time of this writing, no significant progress has been made. There are still two main avenues for infrastructure funding that are being contemplated in congress. The first is the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill entitled Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Having already passed in the Senate (69-30), the bill was to be introduced to the House floor on Tuesday 9/28, however, House Democrats postponed the legislation before it could be considered for a vote. The explication of this action was insufficient votes to get the bill passed. The second piece of legislation which includes infrastructure funding is the budget reconciliation package. This legislative package is significantly larger than the IIJA with a current investment total of $3.5 trillion. Among a number of funding priorities, the reconciliation package includes expanding tax incentives for clean energy, manufacturing, and transportation.  The future of both funding policies remains unclear as congress continues through their legislative processes. Perhaps more can be shared in our October newsletter. 

Center Junction DDI: Final Stages of Project to be Completed

Nightly closures of U.S. 61/Kingshighway will continue Monday, Oct0ober 4 through Friday, October 22.  MoDOT has stated that contractor crews will continue work on U.S. 61 as the diverging diamond interchange project nears completion. Beginning Monday, October 4 through Friday, October 16, diamond grinding operations are scheduled to occur. From Monday, October 18 through Friday, October 22, crews will be striping the lanes in preparation for project completion. According to MoDOT and weather permitting, work will take place nightly, requiring a full closure of U.S. 61 from Orchard Road to Veterans Drive from 8:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. All interstate ramps will remain open to right turn movements only. Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes during closures.

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Missouri Highway Safety & Traffic Conference

From September 20 through 22, SEMPO staff attended the Missouri Highway Safety & Traffic Conference. Each session explored opportunities for continued progress in each of the core areas of Missouri's Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Show-Me Zero. Attendees included a few hundred transportation professionals, law enforcement officers and safety advocates. Copies of the presentations attended by SEMPO staff are available by clicking the buttons below. 

Roadway Fatalities Update

The Southeast District has experienced 85 fatalities on the roadways in 2021 as of September 12. This number is up from 75 fatalities reported from August 22. Of these 85 fatalities, 42 occupants were not buckled and 73 were in rural locations. Statewide, the 2021 total thus far is 623 lives lost. This number surpasses the number of fatalities statewide Missouri has experienced in the years of 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016. At this time last year there were a recorded 696 lives lost. Sadly, 2020 remains on track to be the most fatal for roadway travelers in Missouri over a five year span with 681 lives lost at this point in the year; but this year is close behind. 

Complete Streets Tool 

The National Complete Streets Coalition and Smart Growth America recently launched a new site to help local communities better model and evaluate the potential benefits of Complete Streets projects—measuring and proving their many economic, health, environmental, equity, and safety benefits—without ever turning over a shovel. To learn more about the benefits of Complete Streets and how to effectively utilize their new site join the Benefits of Complete Streets Tool presentation on October 6th at 2:00 pm (CST) to hear how you can better advocate for more complete streets in your community. Registration is free and available via the button below. Once registered for the event you will be provided a link to download their Benefits of Complete Streets Tool, which is a handy excel file with prepopulated MSA data for project analysis. 

SEMPO Trivia

Who was the first aviator to fly non-stop from New York to Paris?

a. Chuck Yeager
b. Charles Lindbergh
c. Howard Hughes 
d. Edward O'Hare
e. Eddie Rickenbacker
f. Robert "Bob" Hoover

Be the first one to respond to my email (amcelroy@cityofcape.org) with the correct answer and I'll bring the drink of your choice to our next meeting.

Will Electric Cars Kill Gas Stations?

This is a concern I have heard and I think a legitimate one. As of 2020, there were 152,000 convenience stores across the US comprising 32% of all stores in the country. So it is understandable that folks would have concerns if one out of every three stores in the nation were in jeopardy of failing. This is a broad topic but the video below provides some insight into the discussion. 

Transportation Quote

“Transportation is the center of the world. It is the glue of our daily lives. When it goes well, we don’t see it. When it goes wrong, it negatively colors our day, makes us feel angry and impotent, curtails our possibilities.”

– Robin Chase