MoDOT director says 'tidal wave' of repairs on horizon, urges lawmakers to act : News

Headlines are quick hits from media outlets from Missouri and around the world. Follow the headline link for the full story. The source of this headline says:

The new director of the Missouri Department of Transportation continued his call to boost state transportation spending on Tuesday.

At the Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight, Transportation Director Patrick McKenna cast Missouri's problems as fixable, but not without more money.

He told the committee the problem due to a shortage of funds will grow as bridges built during the Great Depression and during interstate construction continue to age.

"We'll be facing a virtual tidal wave of replacement needs as we go forward," McKenna said. "So getting further behind, or just treading water, is simply not good enough."

MoBikeFed comment: Missouri is facing a crisis in highway funding--one more serious than most citizens in Missouri realize.

But the crisis is deeper than that: The crisis in state transit and pedestrian/bicycle funding in Missouri is even worse than the highway funding crisis.

Meeting with legislators and MoDOT leaders in Jefferson City this legislative session, we have been taking this message:

Missouri's dramatic underinvestment in transit, walking, and bicycling harms the ability of communities across the state to compete in today's global marketplace

• Missouri ranks 44th of the 50 states in public transportation funding.

• Missouri spend just 9 cents per capita on public transportation funding; our bordering states average $2.85 per capita (excluding Illinois, which spends $66.30 per capita).

• Missouri provides no state transportation funding for walking or bicycling.

• People in every Missouri county depend on public transportation, walking, and bicycling for access to vital jobs, school, and medical care. This is an issue for communities large and small; urban, suburban, and rural.

• Transportation options that meet the needs of all citizens are vital for a strong economy and the public health.

• As a far outlier state in state funding for public transportation, walking, and bicycling, Missouri harms its economy and drives talent and business to more competitive states.

Transportation means a lot more than just highways. Support a comprehensive solution to state transportation funding that meets the needs of all Missourians.

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