With new taxes or tolls unlikely, MoDOT makes the most of what it has | News-Leader

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Two years ago, the outlook was bleak for the state transportation department: capital spending was down, tax hikes were a nonstarter, and it was nigh impossible to say how hundreds of bridges and thousands of miles of roads could be saved from deterioration.

Now, MoDOT may be "treading water," said department director Patrick McKenna in an interview Tuesday. But though the level of the department's funding is low enough that some projects that could benefit economic development can't be pursued, and proposals to raise taxes are still unlikely to go anywhere, MoDOT isn't drowning.

The department has prioritized the maintenance of existing "facilities" including roads, bridges, rail, ports and airports, McKenna said. He and other transportation officials are able to do that much thanks in part to the late 2015 passage of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which authorized $305 billion in federal funding over five years for transportation infrastructure projects.

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With new taxes or tolls unlikely, MoDOT makes the most of what it has | News-Leader

MoBikeFed comment: With the appointment of MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna last year, and the passage of the federal FAST Act, the "Missouri 325" plan--which was able to dedicate just $325 million annually to Missouri's 34,000-mile state road system--is now history.

Between the new federal funding and a restructuring of state funding--plus a dollop of deficit spending--MoDOT is now able to dedicate about $800 million annually towards the state road system.

The agency says that this is just about enough to tread water for now, though the state will need to find an additional $50-$100 million in new funding to continue funding at this level beyond about 2020--when the reserve fund that allows the current deficit spending plan will be exhausted.

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