MoDOT drops urban-rural funding policy

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Rural communities will receive a slightly larger percentage of funds for roads and bridges from a new policy adopted Friday by the Missouri State Highways and Transportation Commission.

The new plan, which won't take full effect until mid-2006, replaces a 1998 policy that automatically earmarked half of the road and bridge budget for St. Louis and Kansas City area projects and the remainder for those in the rest of Missouri.

The change means rural Missouri will receive 52 percent of highway funds, while the two main urban regions will get 48 percent. Though the percentages will change only slightly, the new plan is based on objective criteria rather than the geography-driven 50-50 split.

The commission has focused on the distribution issue since voters rejected a $483 million transportation tax package in August. Department of Transportationstaffers initially offered three options for changing the policy, all of which favored rural areas. A fourth was drafted as a compromise after St. Louis-area interests complained the others would shift too much money out of the region. However, that proposal and the numerous variations of it considered in the past week failed to mollify St. Louis interests.

MoDOT chief engineer Kevin Keith recommended the commission adopt the original compromise proposal, which would have resulted in a 53-47 percentage split favoring rural areas.

By a 4-2 vote that followed hours of debate, the commission endorsed a variation of that option that put slightly less emphasis on maintaining the existing system -- a spending area that favors rural Missouri, where the state's worst roads and bridges are located.

Both dissenting commissioners -- Duane Michie of Hayti and Barry Orscheln of Moberly -- said they were satisfied with the majority's position but preferred other alternatives.

"I thought taking $50 million out of taking care of the system skewed the amount of money out of rural and back to urban," Michie said. "But I don't have a problem with the plan."

The policy assumes MoDOT will have $969 million a year to spend starting in mid-2006. After taking $232 million off the top for federally earmarked projects, economic development efforts, other transportation modes and debt, that leaves $737 million a year in discretionary construction funds -- $237 million of which will go for major projects to expand the system.

The policy earmarks $400 million a year for maintaining the existing system. A combination of vehicles miles traveled, total lane-miles of roadway and total square feet of bridge deck in each of MoDOT's 10 regional districts will be used to calculate how much funding for improvements each receives.

Those factors will also be used to distribute $100 million in flexible funds that can be used for improvements to existing roads and bridges or system expansion at the discretion of local officials.

Michie said he most likes that component of the policy.

"It gives local input in each district on how the money is being spent," Michie said. "That has a lot of merit."

MoDOT director Henry Hungerbeeler said state transportation decisions traditionally have emphasized building new roads over maintaining existing ones, which has contributed to the poor overall condition of the system.

"It is irresponsible for us to continue to expand at the expense of taking care of the system," Hungerbeeler said.

Committed through 2006

Projects MoDOT has already committed to through mid-2006 under the old policy will not be affected by the change. The commission will revisit the new policy in at least two years, by which time MoDOT will have scheduled projects that will be undertaken from mid-2006 through mid-2009. If MoDOT receives a substantial funding boost from the federal government or Missouri voters, the policy could be re-examined sooner.

"I don't want this to be perceived as if it is cast in stone," said commissioner Marge Schramm of Kirkwood.

House Speaker Pro Tem Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill, was present for the commission's discussions. He said the decision to drop the 50-50 split was a good first step toward improving MoDOT's credibility with the public -- the lack of which was considered a primary reason for the failure of the recent tax proposal.

"I would have liked to have seen a little more for rural Missouri, but the plan distributes money in a fair way," Jetton said.

mpowers@semissourian.com

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