Faces of I-270 North

The I-270 North Project team is committed to the growth and utilization of a diverse workforce. Get to know the people behind the project — from businesses to individual employees to community members like you — as we Build. Progress. Together.

Jason Highley Millstone Weber
Senior Project Manager

Each year sometime in March, if crazy Missouri weather patterns don't interrupt its arrival, we welcome the Spring season. The newness of Spring can invigorate us, bringing promises of beginnings, awakenings, renewal, growth and at the very least, a release from the partial isolation of winter. Spring, and its suitemate Summer, are the seasons during which we grab our garden tools, paint, and other supplies and get to work. Much like we look for the perfect time to improve and upgrade our living environments, work on the Missouri Department of Transportation's (MoDOT) $278 million I-270 North Project, also kicks into a higher gear with the season change; moving full speed ahead to improve how people, vehicles and goods move throughout the interstate and on the outer road system.

Jason Highley, Millstone Weber maintenance of traffic manager for the I-270 North Project, is responsible for all things traffic related. That includes, among other things, implementation of closures and detours, temporary signing, temporary and permanent striping, road maintenance and coordination between the project team and the surrounding communities to ensure that they are aware of project status and current activities. He works closely with the MoDOT team members.

Our crews will only be here for a short amount of time when compared to the long-term benefits that this region will experience for years to come, once the project is complete. I encourage all of those who live, work, and play within the corridor to be patient, especially during the heavy construction periods.

—Jason Highley

Eighty percent of Highley's work involves facilitating what needs to happen, when it needs to happen and how it needs to happen. Outside of pre-planning and preparing for upcoming work, weather can be one of the most impactful influences on a project-critical decisions must be made on when to push forward with inclement weather on the horizon and when to delay the work. "We can have the best plans, and nature simply shows up and delays opportunities to move forward, impacting everyone involved including contractors, construction crews and of course travelers. Having plans sitting on 'GO' and being delayed by weather can have a snowball effect on other planned activities. In spite of that though, I am always amazed at the pace with which our crews maintain and complete the work."

Highley adds that at the end of each day, the primary goal is to ensure that motorists and our workers make it home safely each day. Everyone who is part of the project works hard to provide good, safe pathways within which to travel.

All of the day-to-day planning and coordination prior to implementing construction elements like closures and lane drops, focuses on getting the work done in a timely and safe manner. We put a lot of thought into all that we do, and safety is our biggest concern—the safety of drivers, pedestrians and our workers.

—Jason Highley

"As we focus on keeping travelers safe, we ask travelers to help us keep workers safe as well. The roadways are their 'offices' and road conditions can change quickly, so please make a conscious decision to slow down and stay alert, so that both work crews and travelers make it home safely." So, if you've been sitting on the sidelines watching the infrastructure improvements come to fruition, let winter's isolation be a thing of the past. Get out and check out the newly created multi-use paths on both Pershall and Dunn roads and larger spaces for walking, jogging, and cycling on the new bridges.

Shawn Leight CBB Transportation + Engineers
Vice President and
Chief Operations Officer

It's easy to see how a massive infrastructure effort like the I-270 North Project would be a dream endeavor for any transportation engineer, but for CBB Transportation + Engineers' Vice President Shawn Leight, it's much more than that.

We're really excited about working on this, and we have a lot of cool innovative features in there, which is really neat. But this is really about the community. In a lot of different ways, we're trying to contribute to north county, and we're just really happy to be a part of that

—Shawn Leight

Leight's career as a transportation engineer spans over 25 years, including nearly two decades at CBB where he also serves as one of its four principal owners. He has led the firm's efforts with the I-270 North Project, which have included everything from providing traffic analysis and modeling to traffic signals, overhead signage elements and many more of the vital traffic flow details that the average person may take for granted during a daily commute.

However, he's most proud of the work the firm's been able to do with engaging college students and teens in the process. Through the years, CBB has hosted a number of St. Louis University civil engineering students on field projects as a part of SLU's capstone course requirement for its college seniors.

“Actually a pretty critical innovation on the I-270 North job was based on one of the projects from one of SLU's student teams,” Leight said.

Since 2003, Leight also has served as an adjunct professor at Washington University in St. Louis, which has enabled CBB to build a solid internship program. This year, the firm placed an emphasis on diversity and recruited five interns - including women and people of color. Out of those interns, three will be able to continue interning through the fall semester and the remaining two have accepted offers for full-time employment with CBB.

Some of the continuing interns include MoDOT OJT Cassiana Buehler who Leight noted is also one of his former Washington University students. As a traffic intern, she's helped with maintenance, traffic planning, traffic adjustments out in the field and learning important software, he said.

Most recently, CBB also hired Project PAVE student Jaydin Thomas as their newest field tech. And this past summer, CBB brought on Project PAVE student Trenton Clark as their first ever high school intern.

We had him involved in a bunch of different things and the summer went by so fast, I wish we'd had more time with him, but he did a great job. He's got a lot of energy,” Leight said with a laugh. “I told him 'Trent when you get your first engineering job — and I don't care if it's civil engineering or you decide to do something else — when you get your first engineering job, we're going to have a big old party for you!'

—Shawn Leight

Here's what Leight hopes the students take away from the experience:

“We want to give them a taste of the industry and see if this is something that they like. It's better for them to find that out now when they're in college than when they're a couple of years into their career,” he said.

Why Leight believes mentoring and preparing the next generation of STEM/Built Environment leaders is so important:

“In general, work on infrastructure never ends, right? So it's important that we have a pipeline of talent that's coming into the industry who can work on transportation projects. Transportation is a basic societal need like food and water. If you don't have it, you can't get the things you need,” Leight said.

“And from a personal perspective, I'm a first-generation college student in my family — second only to my sister — and I kind of stumbled into this industry and found a great career and a great industry. So, I want to help the kids out there and let them know that there's a great career out here and try to support them if they're interested in doing this.”

Chris Watts Project Manager
Parsons Corporation

MoDOT's $278 million I-270 North Project has a lot of moving parts. Bridges and related infrastructure are being replaced and updated throughout the corridor. Accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists is being improved with creation of a multi-use path from Lindbergh to Breezy Point Lane along Dunn Road, and from Hanley Road/Graham Road to Old Halls Ferry Road along Pershall. There are even two turnaround bridges planned — one at Washington Street/Elizabeth Avenue and one at West Florissant Avenue — and a new bridge that will connect Pershall Road to Dunn Road across I-270 near Old Halls Ferry Road.

That's a lot of detail and it doesn't even include all the other planned upgrades that are scheduled as part of the finished project. Though we may not often hear about the people behind the scenes, there are individuals whose sole job is to develop and oversee all the design aspects for Design-Build projects like I-270 North.

Chris Watts is the project's design manager for Parsons Corporation; a defense, intelligence, security and infrastructure engineering firm with offices in St. Louis. With a background in Civil Engineering and a desire to work in transportation design, his job is to oversee all design aspects of the project and work closely with the rest of the project team members to bring it to fruition.

We work collaboratively and cohesively with all of the varied disciplines within a project — bridges, walls, drainage, signals, roads, etc. — to outline design elements which meet and even exceed the requirements in a particular request for proposal. On the I-270 North Design-Build Project, our focus was on innovative, cost-effective approaches that would yield the largest number of improvements for the available budget.

—Chris Watts

Watts said the best approach, especially with a large project like I-270 North, was to design it in a sequence which matches how the contractor wants to construct the project.

You can't eat the elephant in one bite. We started with a 15% design concept and then collaborated with MoDOT and Millstone Weber throughout interim design submittals until we had plans that were ready to be constructed. You have to work through it diligently as a team.

—Chris Watts

Watts added that the planning challenges around the I-270 North Project also were compounded by the necessary separation of team members due to COVID-19. "Communication was key, and we really worked well through those initial challenges with online meetings, and frequent communication."

"Things are moving ahead well, and we will be very excited when we can show the community the finished project. We are looking forward to everyone experiencing the safety upgrades that are a large part of the project, as well as the additional pedestrian facility upgrades that have been included."

Mike White Laborer Apprentice

Two years ago, Mike White, a father of three, turned to the construction trade for stability. He has found his sense of pride as well. "I feel like I'm building America," he exclaimed. Currently, Mike is a MoDOT OJT Laborer Apprentice with Millstone Weber on the I-270 North Build-Design project. "I like working with my hands. I have worked several jobs that did offer an opportunity for advancement. Then I learned you could make a decent wage in construction," Mike said. He learned of the On-the-Job Training (OJT) program while in MoDOT's pre-apprenticeship program. Mike is now a fourth-term apprentice. When asked about his post OJT goals, "I'm looking forward to journeying out and having a pension," he said, "Plus it'll be a reward every time I pass by this I-270N project knowing I helped build it."

It'll be a reward every time I pass by this I-270N project knowing I helped build it.

—Mike White

About MoDOT's On-the-Job Training Program

The I-270 North Design-Build project is providing training opportunities for a number of minority individuals pursuing careers in construction. In 1990, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) established its On-The-Job Training (OJT) program in an effort to increase workforce diversity and inclusion. As OJT program participants, MoDOT prime contractors employ minorities, women and economically disadvantaged individuals for teams assigned to MoDOT's federally funded construction projects. The diversity and inclusion initiative gives minority tradespeople the opportunity to accrue the time and develop the skills needed to graduate apprenticeships and become journeymen, and minority engineering professionals the chance to learn on the job while they complete or advance their required education. The I-270 North Design-Build contractors, Millstone Weber and Parsons have several OJT trainees on their teams. We are proud to introduce you to some of them in this month's newsletter.

Kendall's Hauling LLC (DBE)

In 2006, Kendall Davidson, a certified diesel mechanic, established a trucking company with a 1979 dump truck he literally built with his own hands. At the time, Kendall's Hauling had just one employee- himself. Despite the difficult road ahead, he wanted more, he said. Fortunately, he connected with industry influencers who were committed to creating sustainable pathways for minority and disadvantaged business owners. Thom Kuhn, the President of Millstone Weber, was among Issue 3 | July 2020 Safety Fact: In 2019, 18 people were killed in work zone crashes in Missouri. Remember to Slow Down in the Work Zones. Help us all make it home safely. those who helped Davidson get established in the competitive, highly regulated motor freight transportation sector. "Millstone Weber was my catalyst to success," Davidson said.

Today, Kendall's Hauling LLC has dual certification as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), a fleet of dump trucks, side dumps and fuel tankers, 15 employees, and a contract to collaborate with the men and women who helped the family-owned transportation business get rolling 14 years ago.

Originally, I was one man, one truck. Now I'm the only African-American in the whole state of Missouri who owns a petroleum business.

—Kendall Davidson

Kendall's Hauling is now a three-tier haulage and cartage company: petroleum sales, delivery and storage; dirt, rock and asphalt hauling; and, heavy duty freight delivery. As a Millstone Weber contractor for the I-270 North Design-Build Project, Kendall's Hauling will transport diesel fuel for construction equipment, and haul excavated material from the construction sites. "Initially Millstone Weber changed my family's life. Now they continue to have a positive impact on my employees," Davidson said. My employees are "average blue-collar Joes with high school degrees," he said. Most live in the North County neighborhoods, near the I-270 North Design-Build Project. "My employees are people who look like me, working real jobs with a prevailing wage, bringing money back to their communities. They've been able to buy houses, cars, pay property taxes, and send their kids to college," Davidson said. Davidson currently lives in St. Louis city, but grew up in North County. He attended Lutheran North High School and North Technical High School.

Davidson is also a 2010 MoDOT Fastrac Business Development Program graduate. He credits this program with making him a businessman. "Participating in MoDOT's Fastrac Program is a phenomenal opportunity for minority and disadvantaged business owners," Davidson said. "I already knew diesel truck maintenance and repair; Fastrac taught me how to run a business, and helped me network with equal opportunity officers who led supplier diversity and contracting activities at key companies."

When asked about the impact of COVID-19 on his business, he stated that due to his I-270 North Design-Build contract, he does not expect his business will be negatively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. "We're working, and we'll stay working."

Jumoke Abass Engineer (In Training)

Jumoke Abass refers to her on-the-job training as on-the-job learning — practical experience she will apply to passing intensive Civil Engineering competency exams and securing specialized certifications. She has already received her Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from SIU-Edwardsville. Now she is in MoDOT's OJT program as a Millstone Weber engineer (in training), working side-by-side with I-270 North Design's professional engineers as she works to become a licensed Professional Engineer.

Being part of MoDOT's on-the-job training program is useful for the exams I want to take, and other personal milestones I need to obtain,

—Jumoke Abass

Jumoke aims for her combined on-the-job learning and continuing education to make her a skilled civil engineer, capable of making sure projects get done according to plan, on time and within budget. She is committed to doing double duty — working full-time, while studying and testing on the side. "While learning on the job, I have to continue to set goals for myself to achieve. Being part of MoDOT's on-the-job training program is useful for the exams I want to take, and other personal milestones I need to obtain," Jumoke said.

Diamond Cottman Engineer Intern

Diamond Cottman is the first on both her paternal and maternal sides of the family to choose Engineering as a vocation. After speaking with her, it’s obvious why she chose to do this work.

As a senior at Southern Illinois University — Edwardsville studying Civil Engineering, Diamond says she was already being led toward engineering while a high school student.

I was exposed to the field of engineering in grade school and by the time I reached high school I knew what I wanted to do. I would always notice the condition of roads and bridges and I would think, 'this shouldn't look like that or that's wrong.' I try to fix things in my head.

—Diamond Cottman

That attention to detail is not the only reason that she chose to focus on Civil Engineering. "I have a very strong desire to rebuild communities and the first step in that direction for me is to focus on the roads, bridges and overall transportation systems contained within those communities. Eventually, I plan to impact other elements within communities like housing, that can affect overall social, physical and mental well-being."

While Diamond has completed internships in private industry, she is excited about learning with MoDOT. She says that working with the agency will provide an up-close look at how the public sector operates in areas like contract development and public engagement.

In terms of advice for those young enough to still be in the career choice phase of life, Diamond said, "Don’t always follow the money because it may not take you to the place you want to go. Find out what your passion is, what’s in your heart and find a way to monetize that. Also, start early! I started preparing for my engineering career in high school. It’s never too early and nothing is better than preparation."

Brandy Broecking Project Manager

Brandy Broeckling is the Project Manager for Millstone Weber, the contractor for the I-270 North Design-Build Project. Broeckling says the entire team is excited to be working on a project of this magnitude and they are looking forward to seeing some of the innovative solutions within the plans come to reality.

"We are really pleased to be a part of this project; the largest single project done by MoDOT within the past decade. Our plan is to use this newsletter as a way to allow you to stay connected to the project, and to learn about all of the innovative and impactful work that will happen along the corridor," said Broeckling. This is the first of monthly editions of the newsletter that will be shared with the public via emails and posting on both the Millstone Weber and MoDOT I-270 North team websites. Broeckling says MW and MoDOT want people to get excited and stay informed about the project as it progresses.

We are really pleased to be a part of this project; the largest single project done by MoDOT within the past decade.

—Brandy Broecking

Broeckling holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering, is a registered professional engineer, and has more than 20 years of heavy highway construction experience. She says she is really excited about the project both professionally and personally. "Not only did I grow up in Florissant and graduate from Hazelwood Central High, but the first construction project I ever worked on was on this same stretch of 270, when I was a summer intern for MoDOT. I went on to spend the first nine years of my career working for MoDOT. The remainder has been spent working for Fred Weber Construction, and now, Millstone Weber."

In 2014, Fred Weber Construction and Millstone Bangert combined to create Millstone Weber. Both respective companies were founded almost 100 years ago, and Broeckling has been the contractor on numerous MoDOT construction projects throughout the greater St. Louis area. Fred Weber and Millstone Bangert were part of Gateway Constructors, the company who constructed the New I-64 project, which at the time of construction, was the largest Design-Build project in MoDOT history. Fred Weber and Millstone Bangert once again teamed up as Page Constructors, to construct the Route 364 Phase 3 project. The two companies that are now one — Millstone Weber — will be constructing the I-270 North Project, which is the largest single contract in Millstone Weber history.

"Our entire team is so proud to be partnering with MoDOT once again to bring the residents, businesses and municipalities this much needed infrastructure improvement that will have a positive impact on the North County region for many years to come," said Broeckling.

Learn more about the I-270 On-The-Job Training Program