Missouri Adopts Cutbacks in Highway Work, Braces for Period of Deteriorating System

AASHTO Journal, 6 February 2015

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission decided Feb. 4 on a “drastically reduced construction budget” for the Department of Transportation as highway funding continues to weaken.

Commission Chair Stephen Miller said the action would “dramatically change the way we do business. After years of making great progress on the condition of Missouri’s highways, we now face a future of watching our roads and bridges deteriorate.”

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The commission adopted a plan unveiled in mid-January by MoDOT, to focus most agency resources on maintaining about 8,000 miles of Missouri’s 34,000-mile state highway system with its 10,400 bridges. MoDOT drew up the retrenchment plan in anticipation of its construction budget dropping to $325 million in 2017, absent legislative action to increase revenue.

When he proposed the cutbacks last month, Missouri Transportation Director Dave Nichols said: “We need at least $485 million to maintain roads and bridges in the condition they are today, so facing a $325 million budget means making some tough choices. In addition, Missouri won’t be able to match federal funds in 2017, which provides a $4 to $1 investment. That revenue will be lost to other states.”

The agency estimates it would need another $160 million each year in state funding to match all available federal funds, take care of the entire highway system in its current condition and perhaps develop a flexible fund for regional priorities.

Under the limited-resource construction plan, MoDOT said it will keep its primary roads in good condition with maintenance and rehabilitation work like overlays and bridge replacements. But it said enhancements such as interchange improvements or road widenings “will not be possible.”

The other miles of roads and bridges outside the primary focus area will make up a state supplementary system and receive limited maintenance.

“That means MoDOT crews will do the best they can to maintain roads and bridges on the supplemental system with internal resources,” an agency announcement said. “Work will include filling potholes, patching pavement and flushing and sealing bridge decks. It won’t be enough, however, to keep supplementary roads from deteriorating over time.”

The emphasis on primary and supplementary roads differs from MoDOT’s current focus on major and minor roads because major roads — which make up 20 percent of the system and carry 80 percent of traffic — are confined to limited parts of the state. The new “Missouri 325 System” plan includes at least one highway in each county as a primary route.

Still, it said the list of supplementary roads include some significant urban routes MoDOT will not be able to maintain in good condition at a $325 million spending level. While they fill more local transportation needs, the agency said they carry high traffic volumes of 30,000 to 50,000 vehicles a day.

“Missouri has the sixth-largest highway system in the nation, but we rank 46th in revenue per mile,” Nichols said. “This plan prioritizes what we do with that shrinking revenue, but the only way to truly change Missouri’s status is to find a long-term funding solution.”

MoDOT also set up a website labeled “Tough Choices Ahead,” for residents to see what the funding crunch will mean to their areas.

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