MoDOT adds new local projects to five-year plan

About $300 million in new projects have been tacked on to the draft because lower-than-expected interest rates provided additional Amendment 3 bonding capacity, according to a MoDOT news release. The $140 million bonded amount, combined with state savings from using practical design on projects and local matching funds, allows MoDOT to tackle more projects, the release said.

Three southwest Missouri projects are included in the new lineup: a $16 million capacity improvement to U.S. Highway 65, from Battlefield Road to Chestnut Expressway; a $25 million addition of passing lanes on U.S. Highway 60 from Monett to Republic; and a $24 million improvement to safety and capacity on U.S. Highway 13 from State Highway 76 to Kimberling City.

“While it’s great news to be able to pursue this additional work, we can’t overlook the fact that in this program, the Amendment 3 bond proceeds are used up, and our state transportation program goes back to critically low spending levels,” MoDOT Director Pete Rahn said in the release. “The program we’re proposing marks the shift from having the opportunity to build new projects to barely maintaining what we have.”

In 2013, Missouri will transition from a construction program averaging $1.23 billion to a program of about $575 million. On top of that, federal revenue is expected to decline, while fuel and construction costs are expected to rise.

The draft program detailing all projects – including 10 others recently added – for the next five years totals $5.78 billion. It is available for public review at www.modot.org and at MoDOT’s district offices. Comments can be submitted by calling (888) 275-6636. The public comment period ends June 27.

The proposed program then will go to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, which will review it before considering it for approval July 2.[[In-content Ad]]