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Commission selects funding
distribution
option
Benefits
of Asphalt | The
Engineers Choice | Perpetual
Pavement | Life-Cycle
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Issues and Recyclable Asphalt | Fact
Sheets and Q&As | Glossary
The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission selected
a funding distribution option that better balances taking
care of the state's existing roads and bridges with new highway
construction. The plan uses objective criteria including
vehicle miles traveled, lane miles, population and employment.
The Department of Transportation will use the new process
to allocate nearly $1 billion in road and bridge construction
money each year. Some of the money is set aside for required
programs such as federal dollars for specific programs and
paying back debt from bond financing.
Remaining funds - $737 million each year - will be distributed
as follows:
- $400 million a year for taking care of the existing system,
including $100 million for interstate preservation. This
money is allocated using criteria of vehicle miles traveled,
lane miles and square footage of bridges.
- $237 million a year for major projects and emerging needs,
distributed by criteria including population, employment,
and vehicle miles traveled.
- $100 million a year in flexible funds, also to be distributed
by criteria including population, employment, and vehicle
miles traveled.
"An important new element in this process is the extent
of local involvement," said MoDOT Chief Engineer Kevin
Keith. "A goal from the start was to give communities
more influence over how their transportation dollars are
spent. In this process, most of the money allocated each
year will be reviewed by local officials, who we'll partner
with to decide which local projects will be built first."
Improving the condition of Missouri's highways, which studies
say are among the worst in the nation, is also factored into
the new funding-distribution process.
"With $400 million devoted each year to taking care
of our existing roads, we'll be able to start making our
highways better," Keith said. "Conditions across
the state, both on roads and bridges, are getting worse every
year. At this level of investment, we'll be able to begin
reversing that trend."
MoDOT will use the new process as it develops its next 5-year
construction program. Commitments in the current program
will be kept, and projects added in future years would be
funded based on the new criteria.
Funding Distribution by District
Total Take Care of the System
(TCOS)= $400 million; Flexible Funds=$100 million; Major
projects=remaining funds (estimated at $237 million)
Total TCOS = $400 million =
TCOS fund ($275 million) + Interstate funds ($100 million)
+ Safety funds ($25 million) Approved by the Highway and
Transportation Commission January 10, 2003
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