MoDOT moving forward with new STIP funding plan

The Missouri Department of Transportation has a new Statewide Transportation Improvement Program in place to guide funding decisions for the rest of the decade.

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, which governs MoDOT, approved the STIP for fiscal years 2026-30 on July 9 following a 30-day feedback period, according to a news release. MoDOT previously announced in May that it was seeking feedback on the STIP, which lists transportation projects planned by state and regional planning agencies for the five-year period. Officials say 73 comments were received during the feedback period.

The approved STIP makes $13.3 billion in federal and state revenues available for transportation projects statewide, which includes $9.5 billion to award to contractors for road and bridge construction work.

“We’ve seen unprecedented levels of investments in and improvements to the state’s transportation system over the past few years, and this program is a continuation of that,” MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger said in the release. “The recent growth of this program is made possible by an increased motor fuel tax and additional general revenue and federal transportation investments, and this plan ... shows our full commitment to deliver this major investment for the travelers across Missouri."

Among projects in the STIP are improvements to interstates 70 and 44, improvements to bridges, airports and rail crossings, and fixes for low-volume minor roads, officials say.

The 2026-30 STIP lists myriad Greene County highway and bridge projects that have been funded for right-of-way acquisition and/or construction during the five-year period between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2030.

Those include the following:
• Pavement resurfacing from Route 266 to I-44
• Capital improvements on Kansas Expressway from Grand Street to Sunshine Street
• Bridge painting over James River Freeway on Republic Road and over I-44 on Chestnut Expressway
• Signal upgrades at I-44, Main Avenue, Campbell Avenue, Benton Avenue, Grant Avenue, Boonville Avenue, Broadway Avenue and Eastgate Avenue
• Capital improvements from 0.5 miles east of Route 65 to Routes NN and J