Kraus: Legislation Becomes Law

2010 Legislation Goes into Effect

Last Saturday, August 28, the majority of the legislation passed during the 2010 legislative session became law.  Set by the Missouri constitution, this date is always the day for new laws to take effect unless passed with an emergency clause or otherwise given a different enactment date.  An emergency clause means that the law would take effect as soon as it is signed.  Adding this provision calls for a special vote, and therefore is seldom done unless some relevant circumstance, such as health concerns or the economy, demands it.

In previous emails, I've reported on a number of laws that have been signed by the Governor and would therefore have gone into effect last weekend: new political ethics requirements, stiffer penalties for drunken drivers, legislation affecting the military, a quicker turnaround on tax refunds, regulations on sexually oriented businesses, and the ban on a synthetic marijuana substance.  The two bills passed during the Special Extraordinary Session, tax incentives for auto manufacturers and the changes to the state employee pension system, take effect on October 12, 2010.

About 100 bills were signed by the Governor.  For a complete listing of these bills, click on 2010 Legislation.  From there, if you want to view either a summary or the final language of the bill, you can click on the bill number, which will take you to its legislative page.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Comes to Blue Springs

The Wall That Heals, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall located in Washington, D.C., is coming to Blue Springs from September 30 to October 3.  The traveling exhibition allows veterans, families, friends and students to honor the 58,000 men and women whose names are inscribed on the Wall.

Vietnam Veterans can receive a commemorative medal or lapel pin. Visiting the wall is a way for all of us to honor those who served in Vietnam and to say "Welcome home!"

The Wall will be exhibited in Pink Hill Park, along with an Information Center and a variety of educational exhibits that will help educate the public about the Vietnam War and its effect on the nation.

The exhibition is free to the public and will be available 24 hours each day.   Plan now to participate in this memorable event coming to Blue Springs.

A video about the exhibit, along with volunteer and contribution information, is available at Blue Springs "Wall That Heals."

I-470 Opens Early Following Emergency Repairs

The restored westbound I-470 opened last Friday in the 3-Trails Crossing, forty-three days after sliding soil triggered collapsed pavement and 19 days ahead of schedule.

In the span of five weeks, workers removed the failed pavement, drilled shafts more than 60 feet deep to form concrete pillars anchored into bedrock that support the 225-foot-long bridge extension, and formed and poured a concrete deck and barrier walls. By Sunday, Aug. 22, the bridge deck was complete and then cured until the concrete was at full strength. General contractor Pyramid Contractors, Inc. will continue with earth work and grading through September. However, it will not impact the roadway.

This $4.5 million project required a lot of material and labor hours to complete in such a short time:

• The project included more than 850 tons of concrete and 135 tons of steel.  This much material would fill about ten train cars.
• All of the debris from the collapsed roadway will be recycled. None of the material from the old road way will go to landfills. Material was sorted into steel, other metal, rock, and soil to be recycled or reused in other projects.
• The average work week consisted of 12- to 14- hour days (and sometimes 24 hours a day), seven days a week. Crews took off only one Sunday.
• Crew members worked more than 20,000 hours on the project.

Pryor Road Intersection Closed at Route 150

Pryor Road intersection at Route 150 and a segment of the road to the south will remain closed through September 24 for reconstruction of the intersection.

Signed detours will direct traffic around the construction area. The work is part of the Route 150 widening project, which is partially funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The project will eventually provide a four-lane, divided Route 150 from just west of Route 291 to Route 71.

For information on other transportation projects, go to MoDOT's Website at www.modot.mo.gov/kansascity. For instant updates, follow MoDOT_KC on Twitter or send questions and comments to kccommunityrelations{at}modot{dot}mo{dot}gov.