COLUMBIA, MO. -- Earlier this month MoDOT presented a plan to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission that included reducing the department's staff by 1,200.

MoDOT held community briefings in Columbia Wednesday night to discuss the decline in transportation funding.

"We’re looking for some ways to find some savings within MoDOT," district traffic engineer Matthew Myer said.

Some 1,200 MoDOT employees are slated to lose their job if the plan is put into action.

But MoDOT said the staff reduction would happen through attrition and transfers and as a last step, layoffs.

Myers said one area that's not being targeted by the cuts is maintenance and operations.

"Keep the core group the same but reduce the supervisors and get the cost benefits from that but not actually change the people who are on the road itself that do the work," Myers said.

The plan also suggests closing 135 facilities, including 18 in MoDOT’s central district. 

It also includes selling more than 740 pieces of equipment which would end up saving an estimated $512 million. 

It’s money that instead would be used for road and bridge projects.

"We're trying to actually improve our minor road system as well as still maintain our promises and our integrity in that area and these savings will allow us to do that," Myers said.

With all the consolidations, you might be wondering how this will affect you.

Myers said under the new plan the level of service will be more appropriate to the funding.

"They should still be able to see that i-70 is still in good condition,” Myers said.  “They should be able to see maybe a route d or a route a actually get a little bit better.  And without this effort it's going to be difficult for us to do that."

If the plan is approved, the recommendations will be put into place immediately and will be fully implemented by December 2012.

MoDOT will be hold another open-house briefing Thursday night in Westphalia.

You can click here for a full list of all the open houses.

The commission is expected to decide on the plan at their June 8th meeting.

Additional community briefings are scheduled for around the state through May and early June.