MACON, MO. -- The Highways and Transportation Commission approved a plan that would shut down three of MoDOT’s district offices.
Macon’s district office is just one of the locations that will close come December 31st, 2012.
“You know it’s a sad day for MoDOT because we have to make these tough decisions but I certainly support this decision that the commission made and we’ll make the best of it,” said North Central Missouri District Engineer Dan Niec.
So the question is what will happen to the 150 employees currently working at that facility?
“Well we’re going to restructure the organization and build seven management teams and seven new districts from the current ten so everybody that’s working in this facility will have the opportunity to go to another location whether it is in the state or even into another position within this region,” Niec said.
The new plan will save $512 million by 2015 and $117 million annually, but will it have any affect on construction projects in the works?
“It will not have any affect on current maintenance plans for the summer or construction projects that are currently ongoing," Niec said. “We will continue to do our normal day to day operations as planned. The big change will come by the end of this construction season when we start reorganizing and getting ready to plow snow under a seven district structure.”
MoDOT’s building in Macon was built back in 1937 and Niec says they doing what they can to utilize the building once the district office closes for good.
“We’re working with the city and county officials trying to make sure the building will be utilized in some fashion,” said Niec. “We’re hoping to have some type of employment opportunity in the facility, those discussions are still ongoing, and our goal is not to board up the building but to keep it in use so it can still support the community."
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