New MoDOT director has interim tag removed

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — As the state's transportation department improves two of Missouri's major interstates, the agency is now also under new leadership.

After a four-month nationwide search, the Missouri Department of Transportation's (MoDOT) new director is a 40-year veteran of the agency. Ed Hassinger, who was serving as interim director, said his biggest priority is to hire more workers to mow right-of-way, pick up roadside debris, and plow snow.

"I call it the windshield issues—the things people see when they drive down the road that we're not quite getting too," Hassinger said. "We've had a loss of over two million labor hours of work over the last decade."

MoDOT's new director has worn many hats at the department; Wednesday, he added to it.

"Today is a historic day for MoDOT as we enter a new era of leadership within the department," Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission Chair Dustin Boatright said. "For the past few months, he (Hassinger) has been serving as the interim director along with his every day position as deputy director and chief engineer as well, so he's had a full plate."

After Patrick McKenna resigned in September, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission chose Hassinger from a field of 12 applicants.

This new leadership comes at a time when the agency is adding an extra land to I-70 between Wentzville and Blue Springs and making improvements to I-44 around Springfield and Joplin.

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"We have to deliver that program, $14.6 billion, 5-year plan, the biggest that we've ever had at MoDOT in our history, and to be accountable to the citizens of Missouri to deliver that is one of the key roles that I'm going to have to deliver as director," Hassinger said.

At one point, the state's transportation department was short a thousand employees now there's only 200 vacancies. The new director is expecting those operation positions to be filled by July of next year.

"We need to restore that," Hassinger said. "The citizens expect that we're going to do those things, their expectations are that their roadways look good, that they ride good, that we take care of those issues but to do that we're going to need some new resources."

Hassinger said those resources include asking the General Assembly in the upcoming session for the approval to spend money the department already has to hire more employees.

"Today versus this time last year, we've been able to hire 200 more maintenance workers than we had last year, so we're in a much better condition," Hassinger said. "We would like to have another 200 on top of that."

Back in January, former director Patrick McKenna said the department was short more than 500 workers and faced a 20% turnover rate.

Last year, state workers received an 8.7% pay raise from lawmakers. This year, the General Assembly approved another 3.2% cost of living increase. Overall, Parson's administration has approved a 20% boost in pay since 2018.

With winter around the corner, Hassinger said the department will be in good shape to clear roadways.