Roads, Bridges Need Repair Badly
Roads and bridges of the state of Missouri show they need to change its trend of under-investment in infrastructure. This is according to the Missouri Department of Transportation leaders. They said this in two reports by nonprofits that paint this picture.
Roads Leave Alot to be Desired for Drivers
A report was released last Thursday that calculates the cost to Missouri drivers of roads that have been deteriorating, also congested or are missing some pertinent safety features. TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., released the report.
High Cost for Drivers
That cost comes to $1,514 annually for drivers in the Columbia-Jefferson City area. This according to the report. It is due to vehicle repair and depreciation costs. In addition, to tire wear, lost time, wasted fuel and the costs of crashes.
St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield Areas
Wear and tear on vehicles from the condition of pavement was the largest cost factor in the Columbia-Jefferson area. Also, congestion contributed to the biggest share of such costs in St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield areas.
29 percent of major locally and state-maintained roads in the Columbia-Jefferson City area are in poor condition. Another 26 percent are in mediocre condition.
Major locally maintained roads are those people drive on once they leave their neighborhoods. This is according to Rocky Moretti.
The condition of Missouri’s roads across the state, more than half are in poor condition cost drivers approximately $8 billion annually, Moretti said.
Bridges Need Repair ASAP
Nine percent of the state’s bridges are structurally deficient. This means they immediate repair.
Department Funding
It will be critical that Missouri lawmakers soon bolster the department’s funding through a 10-cent increase to the state’s fuel tax. Then there is a change in vehicle registration fees to accommodate for vehicles getting increasingly better fuel mileage. This is according Ed Hassinger, MoDOT’s deputy director and chief engineer. He was part of the virtual announcement call this past Thursday.
