Smooth roads

Older Missourians will recall the history of Missouri's highways dating back to the out-of-the-mud campaign led by a man named Harry Truman long before he ever dreamed he might one day occupy the White House. Not-so-old Missourians will recall the fiscally tight years as the 21st century opened when the Show Me State's highways were barely being maintained.

Voters acted in 2004 by passing that year's Amendment 3, which provided the funding mechanism for a statewide campaign called the Smooth Roads Initiative. The aim is to improve 2,200 miles of highways by the end of this year. You don't have to drive very far to see the results of that campaign.

Thanks to a workable plan, some changes in administrative leadership at the Missouri Department of Transportation's Jefferson City headquarters and the support of Missourians who want a good highway system, Missouri's highways are not only smoother, but safer.

It's good to see ambitious ideas turn into reality.