2008 Woodie Awards
MODOT will spend money on training
Aid for minority workers
Annie Boken
Issue date: 3/23/06 Section: News
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The Missouri Department of Transportation announced this week that they would commit a chunk of the budget for the upcoming Highway 40 expansion project to training minority workers.
This marks important progress for the St. Louis-based organizations Metropolitan Congregations United and the United Congregations of Metro East, who have been working with MoDOT for months to ensure that more local workers have access to construction jobs in St. Louis.
"MoDOT has made a commitment to utilize up to one-half of 1 percent of the I-64 federal dollars toward contractor incentives and training programs," said Lester Woods, MoDOT external civil rights administrator, at a press conference Monday. While that doesn't sound like much, the project's budget is $535 million-so 0.5 percent works out to about $2.5 million, which will be spent over the four-year duration of construction.
This means that apprentice construction students at places like the Construction Prep Center and Youth Build, St. Louis will have new opportunities to develop a career in St. Louis.
The announcement is the product of months of discussion between MoDOT and MCU, which combined with UCM for this project. Members and supporters of MCU, an interdenominational, multi-racial community organization of religious congregations in the St. Louis metropolitan area, traveled to Jefferson City, Mo., in January to lobby MoDOT on behalf of minority workers in St. Louis.
They wanted MoDOT to make a commitment to hiring local workers for construction projects-and impending projects like the Highway 40 expansion and the Missouri River Bridge construction made MCU's work particularly urgent. Construction on Highway 40 is expected to start in January 2007, according to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
MCU earned the support of many different parties in St. Louis, including Mayor Francis Slay, state representative Yaphett El-Amin and some Saint Louis University students, teachers and priests, who attended a meeting in December at which MCU's plan was discussed.
This marks important progress for the St. Louis-based organizations Metropolitan Congregations United and the United Congregations of Metro East, who have been working with MoDOT for months to ensure that more local workers have access to construction jobs in St. Louis.
"MoDOT has made a commitment to utilize up to one-half of 1 percent of the I-64 federal dollars toward contractor incentives and training programs," said Lester Woods, MoDOT external civil rights administrator, at a press conference Monday. While that doesn't sound like much, the project's budget is $535 million-so 0.5 percent works out to about $2.5 million, which will be spent over the four-year duration of construction.
This means that apprentice construction students at places like the Construction Prep Center and Youth Build, St. Louis will have new opportunities to develop a career in St. Louis.
The announcement is the product of months of discussion between MoDOT and MCU, which combined with UCM for this project. Members and supporters of MCU, an interdenominational, multi-racial community organization of religious congregations in the St. Louis metropolitan area, traveled to Jefferson City, Mo., in January to lobby MoDOT on behalf of minority workers in St. Louis.
They wanted MoDOT to make a commitment to hiring local workers for construction projects-and impending projects like the Highway 40 expansion and the Missouri River Bridge construction made MCU's work particularly urgent. Construction on Highway 40 is expected to start in January 2007, according to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
MCU earned the support of many different parties in St. Louis, including Mayor Francis Slay, state representative Yaphett El-Amin and some Saint Louis University students, teachers and priests, who attended a meeting in December at which MCU's plan was discussed.