A New Day in Transportation

Sunrise on Route 87

A new state five-year highway construction program was approved yesterday by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission -- or, at least, half of one.

The new program is only half the size of recent years, at $600 million. That sounds like a great deal of money to many of us, but the average program has been $1.2 billion. With funding cut in half, Missourians will see a difference in the transportation upon which they depend.

"We'll continue to honor our commitments and maintain the condition of our roads and bridges to the best of our ability for as long as we can," said MoDOT Director Kevin Keith. "But without additional resources our system will eventually get worse."

We're focused on delivering commitments that have been promised, which means keeping major highways in good condition, improving smaller state roads and keeping up with bridge repairs and maintenance. We're cutting internal costs with our Bolder Five-Year Direction and putting all resources available to road and bridge maintenance.

Is that the answer? No. It's only a temporary fix. A long-term funding solution is needed in order to address economic development opportunities, deliver improvements or replace major bridges.

What funding solution would you support for Missouri?

A Bolder Five-Year Direction

Faced with a severe decline in funding and the inability to match federal funds in the near future, MoDOT Director Kevin Keith presented a plan today to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission that includes reducing the size of the department's staff by 1,200, closing 135 facilities and selling more than 740 pieces of equipment. By 2015, the proposed direction will save $512 million that will be used for vital road and bridge projects.

"We asked the director to put forth a bold plan of action to address our transportation funding crisis, and he delivered," said Commission Chair Grace Nichols. "We don't like having to head in this direction, but the reality of our funding situation makes it necessary."

Find full details at www.modot.org.