Many Accomplishments Made, Bold Action Needed

Much has been accomplished, but a bold solution is needed for transportation funding for Missouri.

Director Kevin Keith highlighted several major accomplishments to the Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight today, but emphasized that we're only spending about half of what we should on needed transportation projects, due to lack of funding.

While receiving awards for the innovative Diverging Diamond Interchange in Springfield and with traffic fatalities at their lowest since 1949, there is much to be proud of. Projects also continue to be completed on time and under budget -- by more than 15 percent. And despite the limited projects we're able to do, 86 percent of roads are in condition.

Unfortunately, our successes are limited by funding concerns. We're spending about half of what we should on transportation infrastructure. This means less projects, less improvements, and fewer jobs.

Our goals moving forward are simple: We'll do our best with the resources we have. We'll keep the system in as good of a condition as we can for as long as we can. We'll work to keep travelers and employees safe and continue to provide excellent customer service.

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.

MoDOT Gets Personal with Transportation

Transportation is not just about cars, trucks, roads and bridges. It’s about communities, neighborhoods and families. It’s about you.

In fact, you might say, it’s personal.

If you flick a light switch, you expect the light to come on. When it doesn’t, there’s a problem. When you drive down a highway, you expect it to be safe and in good repair. When it’s not…

I can tell you that MoDOT’s budget has been cut in half. I can tell you what that means to Missouri roads and bridges. But the light switch probably won’t come on until you’re driving down a state route and hit a pot hole. It probably won’t come on until local businesses start to leave Missouri and take their jobs to a state with better infrastructure.

That’s when the transportation funding problem walks into your living room. That’s when it becomes personal.

MoDOT is sharing this message with a new web site that helps people understand how personal transportation can be. Go to www.modot.org/itspersonal and watch the videos. Listen to individuals whose lives have been affected by transportation. Their stories are about jobs, convenience and safety. Some are heart breaking.

These people are your neighbors, your friends, your family. They are you.

As our highways and bridges deteriorate, as traffic backs up and businesses move to smoother roads, remember that you’re the one who can change things.

Transportation funding is not some vague problem that will fix itself in time. It’s the road in front of your house, the connections between your cities, the rivers and rails that carry food to your table. Transportation is not someone else’s problem.

It’s personal.