Mo. gets more money for I-70
Published Sept. 18, 2007
The state of Missouri is now getting paid to do its homework.
Missouri received $2 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to study the environmental effects of widening Interstate 70, according to a news release. The grant will supplement a similar environmental study completed in 2005.
The federal money is part of the U.S. DOT's "Corridors of the Future" program, which plans to widen I-70 for truck lanes through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, according to the Corridors of the Future Web site. The four states have received $5 million, $2 million of which will go directly to Missouri.
Corridors of the Future closely parallels Missouri Sen. Bill Stouffer's, R-Napton, plan to rebuild I-70. Stouffer could not be reached for comment.
"Trucks make up almost 40 percent of that traffic," Department of Transportation spokesman Bob Brendel said. "We are going to end their interaction with cars. The benefits are safety-related, especially to college students. Congestion will also be less."
According to the Corridors of the Future Web site, under the program, interstates 95, 70, 15, 5, 10 and 69 will be studied and remodeled. The Missouri project proposes four segregated truck lanes along I-70 from Kansas City to the Ohio-West Virginia border.
Ron McLinden of the Missouri chapter of The Sierra Club said taxpayers are largely uninformed.
"The issue is a lot more complex and potentially a lot more significant than has been indicated by anything published to date in any of the media," McLinden said. "And Sen. Stouffer's proposal is financed by a statewide one-cent sales tax."
According to MoDOT's news release, the purpose of the project is to "reduce congestion, improve safety and offset maintenance costs."
Ray Friem, senior vice president of operations for the St. Louis Metro Transit, finds advantages that span the state.
"It is a maddening trip, going from St. Louis to Jefferson City or Kansas City," Freim said. "With kids and sports, the expansion will be huge out there."
According to the news release, since MoDOT has no funding for construction right now, the burden of additional funding falls on the shoulders of taxpayers, following a $500 million tax increase in 2002 for similar road improvements.
The cost of rebuilding I-70 with eight lanes, including four for trucks, is estimated at $3.5 billion.
"The timing depends on the outcome of the studies," Federal Highway Administration spokesman Ian Grossman said. "2008 sounds reasonable for a re-evaluation. Since the highway crosses state lines, planning will definitely be a longer process."
No formal design standard has been selected or agreed upon because officials are waiting for the end of the studies.