Chamber: Transportation system fuels economic vitality

Our personal and business lives are affected by our transportation system every day, and without an efficient and effective transportation system, our economic competitiveness will dwindle away. Our state faces a tremendous challenge in trying to address the diverse transportation needs in Missouri.

According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, the state's transportation needs exceed resources by about $1 billion a year, while Missouri ranks fifth-lowest in the nation in revenue per mile.

Missouri has the nation's seventh-largest state highway system, yet one of the country's lowest fuel taxes, more than 5 cents per gallon below the national average. Also, travel in Missouri has increased eight times faster than population growth in the last 20 years.

However, investment in highways in that same period has fallen 32 percent on an inflation-adjusted basis.

We didn't get into this situation overnight, and we won't be able to solve the problem overnight. But one thing is for certain: If we do not work together to find a revenue source to help fund our transportation needs, we will suffer economically.

Southwest Missouri has been more fortunate than others in meeting transportation needs. Much of this success revolves around the fact that this is a high-growth area of the state. But more important is the fact that Ozarkers have been more proactive and willing to invest resources in our transportation system.

Although MoDOT has not finalized which projects would be completed with additional revenue, it will emphasize four-laning major corridors, such as highways 36, 63, 71, 50, 61 and 60. In fact, MoDOT has recently made a commitment to begin engineering and planning for improvements to the highway 60-37 corridor linking southwest Missouri to northwest Arkansas.

This corridor will link our region to the highest growth area in Arkansas. However, because of the revenue shortfall, the state will not have the necessary funding needed to complete construction after the studies have been completed.

This is only one example of the various transportation needs in our area, but one that has a significant regional impact. If we want to continue to be successful in developing a good transportation system in our region, we must continue to be proactive and willing to invest revenue to support our needs.

The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and its regional economic development program, the Ozarks Regional Economic Partnership, support transportation and its impact on the area. Regional cooperation and economic development continue to be priority issues for the chamber in 2001, and transportation has been identified as a key element of this effort.

Most recently, the chamber has continued its support of transportation by becoming a member of Transport Missouri. This organization was formed to advocate transportation needs by working with different organizations throughout the state. Transport Missouri has taken a policy position to look at all possible revenue sources to increase transportation funding.

There are several possible ways to raise additional revenue for our transportation system, such as bonding, general revenue, taxes, user fees and toll roads.

Sen. James Mathewson, a Democrat from Sedalia, has initiated this discussion by introducing a measure that would provide more than $650 million annually through a 1-percent sales tax and a 2-cent motor fuel tax. Although it is highly unlikely that this proposal will be enacted by the legislature as it is now written, it has provided a starting point for discussion and debate.

Whatever solution is most fiscally responsible, we must continue to work together to ensure that our voices are heard and our needs are met. Business and community leaders need to continue to work together to solve our regional transportation needs.

We have taken our transportation system for granted, and it shows.

But it is time to act and we must do so in order to maintain the economic vitality and quality of life we so much enjoy here in the Ozarks.

The Ozarks Regional Economic Partnership is a program of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce in association with Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. and partner members located throughout the Ozarks region.

(Allen Kunkel is the manager of regional development with the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.)