Commissioner Steve Miller also announced the end of his time on the panel
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved the FY2017 budget, including approval for a cost-share program, during the commission’s first meeting since the end of the legislative session.
While the General Assembly’s failure to approve a ballot measure to increase the gas tax by 5.9 cents was greeted with disappointment Wednesday morning at Union Station, the allocation of $20 million dollars for a cost-share program, known as Missouri Moves, by the legislature was an important piece of news for a commission looking for money to keep up with an aging transportation network.
Under the cost-share program, local jurisdictions can apply to have their projects sped up by using their own money for the project alongside the $20 million set aside for Missouri Moves. Two-thirds of the money will be used for road and bridge projects, with the rest going towards projects like pedestrian walkways and multi-modal projects.
The cost-share money was only appropriated for a single year, so the Department of Transportation will be moving quickly to accept applications from local entities. The call for projects will open June 15 and go through the end of July, followed by a review process.
While the money was only designated for this year, in a revival of a program stopped several years ago dues to lack of funding, the department said it hoped they hoped the legislature would continue to fund Missouri Moves.
“We hope it is something that is continued in the budget going forward,” said MoDOT director Patrick McKenna during his report to the commission.
In addition to the cost-share program, the commission also welcomed $12.4 million for ports and $9.6 million for Amtrak in the FY 2017 budget, which will go into effect July 1.
The FY 2016 budget came in 7.6 percent under budget, or $42.8 million.
While commissioners welcomed the increase to the budgets in some areas, they expressed concern for generating new revenue to help replace aging highways and bridges, including several mentions of the Grand Boulevard bridge over I-670. The bridge was shut down last month after inspections showed it was in danger of collapsing and $4-$5 million will be spent replacing the bridge by the end of the year.
While the gas tax would have been one way to generate funds for infrastructure, Commissioner Steve Miller also said it was time for the legislature to allow tolling to improve I-70. He said that while the state currently has authorization from the federal government to toll the road, it is in a “use it or lose it” phase and in danger of losing the opportunity to toll.
Later at the meeting, Miller, a former chair of the commission, announced it would be his last meeting and that he would be stepping aside at the end of the month. He had served on the commission for 7 years, a period he said was longer than the normal 6-year term. While at the commission, he led the search for McKenna as the new MoDOT director.
During his tenure as chair, there were three MoDOT directors and five overall during his time on the commission. He expressed hope that his tenure helped shepherd in a new period of stability at the department.
