MoDOT's Engineering Policy Guide to be Updated

MoDOT will update its project design standards by January 14th, 2026, and there are opportunities to improve active transportation standards.

The US Department of Transportation adopted the 11th Edition of the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices [MUTCD], which according to the League of American Bicyclists "is a document that provides the building blocks used throughout the United States to sign, stripe, and signal streets so that people biking, walking, and driving have clear indications of how they are expected to interact."

MoDOT has until January 14th, 2026 to take the federal MUTCD changes and incorporate them into our state's version of the document, the Engineering Policy Guide [EPG].

Tom Honich, with Missouri Department of Transportation, joined the September 2024 Missouri Complete Streets Advisory Committee to share how the EPG updates will impact Missourians, such as potential improvements to active transportation design and development standards:

Presentation Highlights:

• MoDOT has approximately two years to review the federal changes to the MUTCD and update Missouri's EPG
• Part 9 of the new MUTCD is focused on bicycles:
  • MoDOT is looking to hire a bicycle/pedestrian coordinator to assist with this section:
  • There is an opportunity for additional outside partner input
  • There is an opportunity to incorporate a lot of new infrastructure elements that MoDOT has never implemented before (including green-painted bike lanes, bicycle signals, and bike boxes)
  • Challenges and solutions related to maintenance will be determined
• The EPG updates must be finalized and returned to the USDOT by January 14th, 2026
• This project is ongoing, so stay tuned for public comment opportunities

Read more:

• 11th Edition of the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices
• MoDOT's Engineering Policy Guide
• League of American Bicyclists' analysis of the MUTCD updates
• How the MUTCD will impact Missourians (presentation by MoDOT's Tom Honich)