KCStar series on the state of Missouri highways

Today's KCStar has a series of articles on the state of Missouri highways: how bad they are, why they are so bad, where the funding comes from and goes to. Very interesting background reading:

Just mention Missouri roads, then brace yourself. From truckers to tourists, everyone complains about Missouri's highways. They're terrible. An embarrassment to the state. You know the precise moment when you cross the border into Missouri. . . .

And it's getting worse. A Kansas City Star analysis found that Missouri highways are the third-worst in the country, crumbling from ninth-best less than a decade ago. Fully one-fourth of Missouri's main roads were rated in poor condition in 2001, compared with only 5 percent in 1995.

"I drive about 40,000 miles a year," says Mike Right, spokesman for the American Automobile Association. "And Missouri has the worst highway system of any of the states that I've encountered. Period. Bar none." . . .

[T]he state ranks 44th in the revenue it takes in per mile of road. . . .

MoDOT engineer Glascock said he would like to see the agency shift its staffing.

"Now we have a person who's devoted to bicycles, we have environmentalists, we have a lot of public affairs people," he said. "If we had more inspectors, I would feel more comfortable."