Public gives ideas for state transportation needs at two area hearings

Members of the public were allowed to weigh in on the future of transportation in Missouri at two public meetings Friday in Jackson and Cape Girardeau.

The meetings, hosted by the Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization, were held to give the public an opportunity to offer ideas for needed transportation projects.

The meetings began with a presentation by Jeff Glenn of Glennview Strategies and closed with a question-and-answer period.

According to Glenn, the Missouri Department of Transportation last year began an outreach effort to visit every county in the state to talk about transportation needs. Through those discussions, the agency determined people had four transportation priorities: maintenance, safety, economic development and diverse transit options.

MoDOT also has tried to address funding. Director Dave Nichols said at this month's Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee that the agency's budget, funded primarily through fuel taxes, is expected to sharply decrease over the next couple of years.

House Joint Resolution 68 could provide an answer to budget shortfalls. It proposes a constitutional amendment imposing a 1 percent temporary increase in the state sales and use tax for transportation projects and would sunset in 10 years.

The resolution would have to be approved in the House and the Senate, then brought before voters on the November ballot. A similar bill failed in the Missouri Legislature last year.

According to Glenn, MoDOT is required to make a list of projects it would initiate if it received additional funding, which is part of the reason for the statewide public meetings.

Proposals for projects -- ranging from bike trails to airplane hangars -- may be submitted online, where they will be assessed and scored by groups from the Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission. Those organizations then submit a final project list to MoDOT for approval.

Dick Kent Withers, who attended the Jackson and Cape Girardeau meetings, said he was eager to submit his proposal. Withers is a proponent of "pedestrian friendly" forms of mass transit, such as metros and shuttles. He said these "multimodal" forms of transportation could connect major destinations in the city, including schools, hospitals and downtown.

Glenn said it's important for the public not only to submit ideas, but also to fill out the brief values survey. The 10-question survey determines what factors surrounding transportation people find most important and provides criteria for MoDOT and local transportation committees to assess the projects' value.

Those interested in submitting a proposal or filling out the values survey may visit southeastmpo.org or semorpc.org. Proposals and surveys will be accepted through March 24.

Glenn said MoDOT plans to make the final list of projects available to the public in August, but the timeline is dependent on the outcome of HJR 68.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Jackson, Mo.

Cape Girardeau, Mo.