Texas County would see work on five highway projects in a five-year transportation plan expected to be approved this week by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.
Without money from the federal stimulus package, the situation for construction projects would be bleaker, reports MoDOT.
“Stimulus money has helped delay falling off the funding cliff by about 12 to 18 months, but we will still fall off that cliff, and the consequences will be a transportation system that is getting worse instead of better,” MoDOT Director Pete Rahn said. “Missourians must have a conversation about the future of transportation in our state.”
In Texas County these projects are included:
-Highway 32 resurfacing between U.S. 63 at Licking to Highway 72.
-U.S. 60 bridge rehabilitation over U.S. 60 at Beeler Creek near Cabool.
-U.S. 63 bridge rehabilitation over Bender Creek and Arthur Creek north of Houston.
-U.S. 63 resurfacing from Highway E north of Houston to Highway B.
-U.S. 63 resurfacing from north of Highway RA to Highway U at Simmons.
All of the work would occur in the first two years of the plan that began July 1. No Texas County projects are slated for the last three of the five-year outlay.
MoDOT says by 2011, transportation funding drops by more than half and will continue to fall to only one-third of the 2010 amount in subsequent years. At this point, the Missouri Department of Transportation will struggle to keep existing highways in good shape and will have few dollars to build new roads, bridges or other transportation facilities, it says.
The draft 2010-2014 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program lists all transportation projects planned by state and regional planning agencies for fiscal years 2010 through 2014 (July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2014). It totals $6.5 billion, with approximately $4.91 billion going to 658 highway and bridge projects, about $960 million to other transportation modes and approximately $660 million to local transportation programs.