Posted
by Brad Johnson
on Wed Mar 10, 2010
Last updated
Mar 11, 2010
MoDOT's director Pete Rahn made the announcement at a meeting in Jefferson City. The cuts will also come with reductions in road repair and maintenance. To minimize job loss, MoDOT says it will leave open positions unfilled and reach 400 jobs through attrition, but Rahn says it will take drastic measures just to keep the roads in their current condition.
Rahn says by cutting 400 jobs MoDOT will save 80 million dollars, but the cuts won't stop there.
"As we target 400 less salaried employees, we're also talking about the reduction in the use of temporaries or thousand hour employees," Rahn tells ABC 17 News.
The department is predicating it will save 80 million dollars with the job cuts and Rahn told me it plans to cut a total of a 200 million in expenses. MoDOT is essentially trading jobs to maintain the roads. Rahn says there just won't be many jobs left at MoDOT.
"People looking for jobs are not going to be finding them at MoDOT and its unfortunate but this is what we have to do if we're going to meet customer's expectations," Rahn says.
Rahn also says MoDOT won't even be able to make safety improvements to roads. He tells us they will have to focus on maintaining the current system. The state commission that oversees MoDOT agrees with Rahn.
"I've got to say, it's a bitter pill to swallow especially after having had the benefit of several years of excellent funding," Highway and Transportation Commission chairman Roy Farber says.
MoDOT also won't replace as many signs, and will reduce litter pick ups and mowing over the next five years to save money. Rahn says that short-term road treatment will be become the priority until revenues pick up.
