MoDOT trims roadside mowing budget

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Missouri drivers may notice a change in the landscape along roadways and medians later this summer -- more grass.

The Missouri Department of Transportation has opted to cut back on mowing grass in order to save the department about $2.6 million.

MoDOT plans to get rid of one of its four seasonal mows. The St. Joseph News Press reported the department normally mows the grass on the weekends before Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day, and once in the fall.

Now in order to save money the department will combine the Fourth of July and Labor into one cutting in late July.

Martin Liles, district maintenance and traffic engineer for MoDOT, said if the grass gets "really tall," the department can always adjust the cycle.