|
June 17, 2008 For immediate release For more information, contact: Transportation Advisory Committee Supports Highway 50 Project, State Transportation Plan ST. JAMES—Members of the Meramec Regional Transportation Advisory Committee went of record in support of the newly released Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP), which includes the four-laning of 6.63 miles of Highway 50 from the Mari-Osa Delta to west of Linn. The projects listed in the STIP are proposed until approved by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. The highways commission will officially act on the STIP at its July meeting. Improvements to Highway 50 and Highway 63 are the TAC’s top two priorities in the Meramec Region. The TAC, with Co-Chair Gary Brown of Salem leading the meeting, met in regular session on June 12 at Meramec Regional Planning Commission. Design work continues on the Highway 50 project. Right-of-way acquisition—budgeted at $5.1 million— is planned in the 2010-2011 fiscal year with construction set for 2012-2013. Construction costs are expected to be $35.75 million. The STIP also includes pavement and shoulder improvements on 9.45 miles of Highway 50 in Gasconade County, from near the Route 19 junction to the Franklin County line. Much work is also planned for Meramec counties in District 9 including: • In Crawford County—Rehabilitate bridge and improve shoulders and intersection on a nearly 10 mile section of Route 19 from the Gasconade County line to I-44 at Cuba and make safety improvements on Route 19 from Route PP to 2.5 miles south of Cuba; • In Dent County—Construct partial shoulders and partially relocate Missouri 32 from County Road 605 to Route F; • In Phelps County—Resurface three miles of Highway 63 through Rolla and resurface 9.45 miles of Route 72 from County Road 5220 to County Road 209; • In Pulaski County—Improve surface and construct shoulders on a nearly 13 miles of Missouri 28 from I-44 to Route C, and continue improvements to the Missouri 17 bridge and overflow structures at the Gasconade River north of Waynesville; and • In Washington County—Resurface and improve capacity of a 5.61 miles section of Missouri 21 from Big River Bridge to south of Route 104 West Junction, construct shoulders on Missouri 8 from Route AA to the Potosi city limits, and resurface Missouri 8 from Route 185 to Route O in Potosi. Several maintenance and repair and rehab projects are also planned on Interstate 44 in Phelps, Crawford and Pulaski counties over the next five years. MoDOT Planners Chris Rutledge of District 9 and Mike Dusenburg of District 5 presented the STIP projects to the TAC and explained the projects included in the STIP are a result of input from the TAC and MoDOT’s planning partners, including regional planning commissions. Planners pointed out that money is tight. Some $775.9 million was available for right-of-way, construction and engineering in the 2012-2013 fiscal year compared to $1.147 billion in 2008-2009. “We are getting close to reaching our cliff,” Dusenburg commented. The “cliff” is the decline in construction funds that MoDOT will experience after the 2008-2009 fiscal year. With the 2009-2010 fiscal year, transportation funding drops off significantly because stagnant state funding, lagging federal revenues, higher construction and fuel costs and bond repayment. Osage County Commissioner Jerry Wolfe stressed the need to focus on raising more transportation revenue. The TAC will look at options being considered at its next TAC meeting. In other business, the TAC: • Learned that rising fuel costs is the greatest challenge facing OATS, a local transit service operating 700 vans in 87 Missouri counties. Huested explained that fuel costs for OATS are up $500,000 so far this year. He said that the company will have to adjust service levels if fuel prices continue to rise, and that OATS has added fuel escalators to its contracts. High fuel prices will increase interest in transit and transportation in general, Huested pointed out. “A lot of people assume transit is an urban issue, and it is not. You have a lot of people living in a rural communities who do not have mobility,” he said. • Adopted the Meramec Region’s Regional Transportation Plan, a three-year project that sets transportation goals and identifies needs and priorities; Persons needing more information on MRPC’s Transportation Advisory Committee may contact Connie Willman at MRPC, (573) 265-2993. Meetings are open to the public. |