[ad_1]
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A major upgrade to Interstate 70 from St. Louis to Kansas City was funded last year, and Gov. Mike Parson announced it to Joplin city leaders in December 2023. , said Interstate 44 is next.
In his last annual State of the State address Wednesday, delivered to a joint session of the Missouri House and Senate, Parson announced the I-44 Improvements Plan, which would set aside money to rebuild the interstate from St. Louis to Louisiana. announced what they call the Fund. Joplin area.
Rep. Cody Smith, R-Carthage, said Parson’s proposal is the first step in a huge project that will cost billions of dollars. Mr. Smith will serve one more term as House Budget Chairman before leaving the House due to his term limits.
“I think this is a step in the right direction,” Smith said. “We’re not going to do as much as what we did on I-70, but we appreciate the attention to I-44. It’s a great addition to what we are doing on I-70. It’s nowhere near the scope or scale.”
Smith said the total cost of rebuilding about 200 miles of Interstate 70 will be just under $3 billion.
“The reason I bring this project up today is the strategic way we chose to fund I-70,” Parson said in his speech. “By using resources wisely and working efficiently and effectively, we expect to not only complete I-70 on time, but also to reduce costs.”
Parson also announced that the state will receive more than $90 million in additional federal funding for I-70, courtesy of a grant sponsored by Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri). .
Smith said Parson plans to use interest earned on funds set aside for the I-70 project and savings from a $90 million federal grant, plus additional funds to begin work on I-44. He said he plans to use the funds.
“With these additional funds and savings, we are today announcing a recommendation to establish the I-44 Improvement Fund,” Parson said Wednesday. “This fund will build on the approximately $150 million already included in the current STIP. That’s right. Not only are we laying the foundation for this, but we’re expanding and improving two interstates.”
STIP is Missouri’s statewide transportation improvement program.
Newton County Commissioner Daniel Swem said he was happy to hear funding would be coming to work on Interstate 44 and hoped the interstate in Newton and Jasper counties would be resolved soon. He said there was.
“At least in my opinion, we need a third lane, probably in both directions, at least all the way from the Oklahoma state line to Carthage,” Swem said. “Especially in areas where all traffic from two major interstates is concentrated on one four-lane interstate. Interstate 49) and funnel all traffic from both onto Interstate 44 between Interstate 249 and the Fidelity Interchange.”
Smith said the cost of upgrading the entire 440 miles of Interstate 44 from St. Louis to Oklahoma is estimated at about $9 billion, which is more than the cost of upgrading 200 miles of Interstate 70. He said that it is about three times as much.
“Interstate 44 is longer and has more rugged terrain, which makes it more expensive,” he said. “This is a much more complex engineering challenge. There’s really no feasible way to do it on I-44 in the short term.”
online video Governor Mike Parson’s State of the Union address can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/GovMikeParson. Learn more For more information about the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Interstate 44 plans, visit the following website: https://www.modot.org/i-44-planning-progress. For more information about I-70 planning, visit: https://www.modot.org/improvei70/home.
[ad_2]
Source link
