Jodie Puhr and Melissa Neff

On July 7, 2009 a routine bridge inspection quickly turned into an emergency bridge closure. The northbound Route 291 Bridge over the Missouri River was closed to maintain the safety of the traveling public after an inspection revealed an unacceptable level of rust on the gusset plates.

MoDOT had to act quickly to award an emergency contract to construct a crossover to minimize the impacts to traffic – a project that was under construction within days of the bridge closing. It was the work of Senior Highway Designer Jodie Puhr and Senior Design Technician Melissa Neff that made the quick turnaround possible.

“Normally a project like this takes a few months,” said Puhr. “But because this was an emergency, we had to get it done in two days.”

The designers not only completed their normal tasks but had to manage extra responsibilities that were usually handled by other groups, including figuring material quantities and working closely with the construction office to make sure the plans were appropriate for the area. 

“Jodie and Melissa were responsible for providing an entire set of plans for an emergency Route 291 Bridge. The job was designed in less than 48 hours,” said Lisa Stupps, Transportation Project Designer. “They were told about this project on Tuesday afternoon and by Thursday noon they had posted plans, specifications and an estimate that the contractors could bid on. The project was awarded by Friday noon and the contractor was on site by that evening. Both Jodie and Melissa were willing to go above and beyond to work late nights to finish the project in the deadline required.”

Their dedication to the work and the public earned the designers a High Achiever Award for demonstrating MoDOT Values and being flexible in their job.

Becky Novinger

This happened during the summer of 2008.   Becky Novinger was driving to work early one morning while it was still dark.  She drove by a man sitting in a ditch.  Realizing something was wrong, she turned around to investigate.  There sat the young man on top of a motorcycle that was laying on its side.  Becky parked and got out of her car to see if there was a problem. The man had a black eye but kept telling Becky he was okay and didn’t need any medical attention.  Becky called her superintendent and told him the situation.  He told her to go ahead and call emergency personnel.  After talking to him a little more Becky realized the man was injured and confused.  He asked to call his friend but didn’t know the number.  He had a cell phone but it was trapped in a saddlebag underneath the motorcycle.  Becky found the cell phone in the saddlebag and proceeded to call the man’s friend who was named “Spike.”  After convincing Spike that she was not joking about the accident, he agreed to retrieve the injured man’s motorcycle. She gave him directions and her personal cell phone number.  It wasn’t long before another concerned friend called. By this time the emergency personnel had arrived and Becky helped convinced the injured rider to go to the hospital.  Later that day, she received two more phone calls from his concerned friends. Spike called to thank her and let her know the injured man had broken bones in his face and bleeding on the inside of his skull.  “Over the next few days my phone number had been given to another friend of the victim and I would get updates on his condition and thank yous from his friends,” Becky said. “I really didn’t do anything but give someone a little of my time.”

Jerry Kliethermes

I recently lost my keys and they were found by a MODOT mower. I am not sure about the mower's name, but Jerry Kliethermes was the employee who did the investigating and found me. The only way to identify my keys was through the gym membership key card. He called Wilson's Gym and was given what turned out to be an old number. The number now routes someone to a national number for the American Cancer Society. He then contacted the gym again and was given a cell phone number...but unfortunately, the cell phone number was a digit off. After realizing he had the wrong number, he took the initiative to call the local American Cancer Society office. He explained the situation to a co-worker, who soon realized that he was talking about me because he mentioned JJ's name and she knew I had lost my keys!

Mr. Kliethermes definitely went above and beyond to find me and I certainly appreciate it! You don't always find such good customer service anymore. Most people would have given up after the first try, but due to his persistence, I now have my keys!

Joe Anderson

In January 2009, Sunset Hills maintenance workers were called to prepare the roads for a winter storm. Joe Anderson, a seasonal employee, was one of those called at 3:30 a.m. Unfortunately, Anderson did not have a working transmission in his truck. Without hesitation or excuses, Anderson hopped on his bicycle and began the eight-mile trek. An hour later, he was at work.

“I may be old school, but to me, you find ways to get to work,” Anderson said.

Anderson, a truck driver for the past 14 years, was originally hired at MoDOT as a seasonal employee and has since been hired as a full time maintenance worker.

“I am very grateful for what I do have,” Anderson said. “Jobs are hard to come by these days.”

When Anderson’s supervisor, Kathy Gettemeier, regional maintenance supervisor, got to work the day Anderson rode his bicycle she was very surprised to see a bicycle leaning up against the wall.

“When I got to work and saw the bike there I was completely shocked,” Gettemeier said. “Some of the guys told me that Joe had rode it to work. When I called (that morning), I didn’t know his transmission was out. Joe came without hesitation, it was awesome.”

Later in January when a full-time position opened, Anderson decided to apply.

“The interview was a little intimidating, I had never interviewed in front of three people before,” Anderson said.

“I don’t think we could have hired a more dedicated employee for this position,” Gettemeier said. “But I was impressed, Joe volunteers for all of the overtime and works hard at it.”

Anderson’s truck is up and running now, but he still keeps his bicycle close by for emergency situations.

St. Louis Landscaping Crew

In early August, I received an e-mail from Rich Jones, St. Louis District Landscape Supervisor, that a large tree had fallen on our security fence which damaged the tower guide wire and guide wire protection at the House Springs Tower site due to a recent storm. I went to the tower site the next day to assess the damage so I could schedule crews to assist with debris removal. To my surprise there was some heavy damage to the security fence and the guide wire protection fence was totally wiped out! However there was no tree or debris. The landscape crew -- Al Muratovic , maintenance crew leader Mike Freeman, maintenance worker Ray Keune seasonal maintenance worker Andy Totten -- took it on themselves to remove the debris from the fences. This is something they did not have to do, but saved time and money for the taxpayers. This allowed the fence to be repaired in a timely manner.

I’m thankful for the help and support that the landscape crew provided at the tower site and have not had a single complaint for any neighbors that live in the new subdivision about the landscape of the tower site. The Landscape Crew Displayed MODOT’s Values to be flexible, to be one team, and always strive to do our jobs better, faster, and cheaper.

Thanks to everyone!