Missouri State Freight and Rail Plan needs truckers’ feedback
Truckers who spend time on Missouri highways have a chance to steer the Missouri Department of Transportation in the right direction by commenting on the draft 2022 Missouri State Freight and Rail Plan.
Currently, MoDOT is accepting public comments for the latest freight plan through March 31. This provides truckers an opportunity to help shape policies and priorities that address the issues they face.
Submit comments by clicking here.
According to MoDOT, the Missouri State Freight and Rail Plan “is a next-generation blueprint with supporting tools to guide investments in the multimodal freight and passenger rail network that will serve Missouri today and well into the future.”
Lauded as “data-driven and stakeholder-supported,” the freight plan is only as good as the data from which it derives. Although addressing truck parking is already part of the plan, MoDOT will not know where to build new truck parking spaces without feedback from truckers.
The Missouri State Freight and Rail Plan aligns with MoDOT’s three primary pillars: safety, service and stability. Within the “safety” pillar are efforts to decrease the number and severity of freight vehicle crashes, increase truck parking options and improve safety throughout the multimodal freight system and the passenger rail network.
Truck parking is not the only issue professional drivers can address. MoDOT predicts potential truck bottleneck problems in the future with an increase in congestion, truck tonnage, daily truck trips and truck-miles traveled on the interstates cutting across Missouri.
Reducing crashes involving large trucks is also part of the freight Plan. Truckers can inform MoDOT of the safety challenges they face on Missouri’s highways that are beyond their control but within the control of MoDOT.
Quality, real-world data will allow MoDOT to improve truck travel time reliability, including upgrading freight-critical two-lane highways and addressing vertical clearance limitations. LL
Related stories:
Related News
