REGION GETS NEW HIGHWAY ENGINEER

SIKESTON -- An engineer for the Missouri Highways and Transportation Department in St. Louis will become district engineer for the Southeast District in Sikeston.

Scott Meyer, an assistant district engineer for design in the Metro St. Louis District, will officially begin his new job Saturday.

Meyer has been with the state agency for 13 years. He replaces Jim Murray, who has been promoted to director of the department's research development and technology division in Jefferson City.

The department's Southeast District covers 14 counties: Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Butler, Dunklin, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Scott, Stoddard and Wayne.

Meyer received a civil engineering degree from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1983.

In the St. Louis District, he worked under district engineer Freeman McCullah, who was district engineer in Sikeston before Murray.

Meyer succeeded Murray as assistant engineer in the St. Louis District office and now is following in his footsteps again at Sikeston.

"I think it is more coincidental than anything," said Murray. He pointed out that the metropolitan districts have assistant engineers. As a result, urban districts often serve as a training ground for future district engineers, he said.

Murray has been with the department for 36 years. He has been District 10 engineer for a year and a half.

Murray is looking forward to his new position, where he will help implement new procedures and technologies for the Missouri Highways and Transportation Department.

He said new technology could involve everything from road repairs to snow removal.

Murray said his new division of about 20 to 25 employees could become a very important one. "So many times we try new things some places, and we haven't been able to take advantage of it to try to get them implemented in the rest of the state."

Murray said a number of major highway projects are moving ahead in Southeast Missouri. They include widening of Highway 60 to four lanes between Poplar Bluff and Sikeston and construction of new Highway 74 as part of the new Mississippi River bridge project at Cape Girardeau.

Murray said he will miss dealing with some of the major projects like the new bridge at Cape Girardeau.

"The bridge at Cape Girardeau is a major need for the area. That is going to be a lot of work for the next three or four years," he said.

H. Mark Preyer of Kennett, who serves on the state highways commission, said the job changes are the result of people retiring in the department's Jefferson City office.

Preyer, who has been a commissioner for five months, said many of the department's top-level employees have been there for 25 years.

"I think we will see some changes during my six-year term," he said. "A lot of folks there now will be reaching retirement age."