Missouri Travel

Meeting Missouri's Future Mobility Needs | Highways and Roads | Bridges | Travel | Congestion | Safety | Economic Impact | Vehicle Operating Costs | Funding and Taxes

Increasing vehicle travel, especially by heavy commercial trucks, on Missouri’s major roads continues to cause considerable wear and tear, costing Missouri drivers billions of dollars in extra vehicle operating cost per year.

International and Domestic Freight Flow Through Missouri. Office of Freight Management and Operation, Federal Highway Administration.

• Vehicle miles of travel (VMT) in Missouri increased by 32 percent between 1990 and 2000, from 51 billion miles to 67 billion miles.
  
• Commercial truck travel accounted for 12 percent of all vehicle travel in the state in 2000.
  
• Commercial truck travel is projected to increase by 89 percent in the Midwest including Missouri, by the year 2020, according to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) forecasts.
  
• Vehicle miles of travel (VMT) in Missouri are projected to increase another 40 percent by 2020, reaching 94 billion miles.
  
• Missouri has the third-worst roads in the nation, with 59 percent of its major roads in either poor or mediocre condition, and requiring immediate repair or reconstruction.
  
• Driving on roads in need of repair of reconstruction costs Missouri motorists a total of $2 billion annually, or $520 each in extra vehicle operating costs.
  
• U.S. Census data shows that 92 percent of Missourians either drive alone or carpool in their private vehicles to work.
  
• Older Americans are increasingly mobile and their current lifestyles can be expected to fuel growing demand for additional highway mobility.