The future is bleak for the state’s transportation funding, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission declared this week after approving a five-year highway construction program that’s only half the size of recent years — about $600 million a year rather than the average of $1.2 billion.There’s barely enough money to take care of the existing system, the commission said in a statement, and Missourians will see few new projects during the next five years that expand the system and make it safer.
“We’ve known this grim situation was coming,” said Missouri Transportation Director Kevin Keith. “We have fallen off a cliff. This sharp decline in funds means the investment that has supported Missouri jobs, improved our roads and bridges, and increased safety is in jeopardy.”