"Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ Campaign Will Target Drunk Drivers"

Dexter, Missouri - From mid-August through Labor Day, local police will be out in force as part of the annual nationwide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” crackdown on drunk driving. The crackdown, which will include high-visibility enforcement throughout Dexter, will run from August 15 through September 1, 2014.

The effective nationwide drunk driving crackdown will include high-visibility enforcement, high-profile events, and will be supported by national paid advertising, creating a comprehensive campaign to curb drunk driving in August and through the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Dexter Police Department said its Officers will be aggressively looking for drunk drivers during the crackdown and will arrest anyone caught driving drunk.

Although it is illegal in all 50 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to drive drunk (having a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher), far too many people across the nation get behind the wheel after consuming too much alcohol. The latest statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration underscore the serious nature of the nation’s continuing drunk driving epidemic.

“Every year, about one third of all motor vehicle traffic deaths involve one or more impaired drivers or motorcycle operators,” said Chief Sammy Stone. “In 2013, 223 people died in Missouri crashes involving impaired drivers. That works out to approximately one impaired driving fatality every 1 ½ days.”

Chief Sammy Stone added that holidays such as the Labor Day holiday are particularly dangerous.           

Stoddard County, Missouri - Route 114 in Stoddard County Closed for Pavement Repairs
 
Route 114 in Stoddard County will be closed as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform pavement repairs.

This section of roadway is located from Route 60 to County Road 599.

Weather permitting, work will take place Thursday, August 14 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

Stoddard County, Missouri - Route PP in Stoddard County will be closed as contractors replace bridge with box culvert.

This section of roadway is located from Hawk Street to Hickman Street in Puxico, Mo.

Weather permitting, work will take place Tuesday, Sept. 2 and will re-open Friday, Oct. 31.

The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution while traveling near the area.

For more information, please contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/southeast.

Cairo, Illinois - As a reminder, a contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is continuing to restrict traffic to one lane on the US 51 Ohio River Bridge between Wickliffe, KY, and Cairo, IL, this week.

The daytime lane restriction is to allow a detailed inspection of the bridge structure which is expected to continue through this week.

Motorists should be alert for equipment, flaggers, and inspection personnel on the bridge deck in close proximity to traffic flow.

Motorists should be prepared to encounter lane restrictions between about 8:00 a.m., CDT, and 5:00 p.m., each day.  There may be periods where the use of climbers to conduct the inspection may not require lane restrictions, or where lane restrictions are on a short section of the bridge.  Delays should be minimal.

Inspectors expect to be on the bridge during daylight hours anytime weather permits.

All Kentucky bridges get a detailed inspection every two years with long-span river and lake bridges getting an additional walk-through inspection annually.

The Wickliffe-Cairo Bridge carries US 51, US 60, and US 62 traffic across the Ohio River at US 51 Kentucky mile point 7.372.

Also known as The Cairo Bridge, the US 51/US 60/US 62 Ohio River Bridge carries approximately 5,500 vehicles across the Ohio River each day between Wickliffe, KY, and Cairo, IL.   About 35 percent of that traffic is trucks.  The bridge connects with the US 60/US 62 Mississippi River Bridge to Bird's Point, Missouri at the southern tip of Illinois.

The US 51 Ohio River Bridge was constructed by the Cairo Bridge Commission as a toll facility and opened to traffic on November 11, 1936.  Tolls were removed from the crossing on November 11, 1948, when the highway departments of Kentucky and Illinois took over maintenance of the structure.

Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor

Columbia, Missouri – Miss Emmalee Mae Garner, the daughter of Phillip and Michelle Garner, was chosen as a State Finalist in the National American Miss Missouri Pageant.

Emmalee is only 6 years old and participated in the 4 – 6 age division along with other outstanding young ladies from across the great state of Missouri.

The National American Miss Pageants are dedicated to celebrating America’s future leaders and equipping them with life-long skills.  Each year the pageant nationally awards 1/5 million dollars in cash, scholarships, and other prizes.  This year’s pageant included a new Ford Mustang Convertible!

The National American Miss Pageants are unlike any other.  All activities and competition are kept age appropriate.  Girls under the age of 12 are not allowed to wear make-up, and there is no swimsuit competition.  The Pageant program is based on inner-beauty, as well as poise and presentation, and offers an “All-American spirit of fun for family and friends.”  Emphasis is put on the important of developing self-confidence, learning good sportsmanship, as well as setting and achieving personal goals.  The Pageant recognized the accomplishments of each girl while encouraging her to set goals for her future.

Miss Emmalee’s activities included gymnastics, tumbling and t-ball.  She also enjoys horseback riding, pageants, and being with her family and friends. 

Miss Emmalee’s sponsors include Steve Brown Construction, Steve Simmons, Jim Eubanks, and Ed and Arlene Eubanks.