Highway funding

It has been only a few years since funding for Missouri's highways was in a perilous situation. The cost of an overly ambitious statewide program was grossly underestimated, leaving Missouri taxpayers furious with the Missouri Department of Transportation and ultimately resulting in a major revamp of the department.

Now the leadership and systems are in place to give Missourians the best value for their MoDOT dollars, but the possibility of another major funding shortfall looms. Many of the improvements to the state's highways and bridges -- there has been a considerable turnaround in recent years -- have come as the result of a $1.9 billion bond issue. Now there is the cost of repaying that debt on top of highway construction and maintenance.

In dollars, MoDOT expects to see its funding for roads to drop to $569 million by 2010, down from the $1.4 billion spent this past year. Without additional revenue, says MoDOT director Pete Rahn, there will be no money for new highway improvement projects.

Several ideas have been suggested to close the funding gap for highways, including setting aside part of the growth in state revenue for highways, toll roads and increases in sales and fuel taxes. Surely highway officials remember the lessons learned from the funding fiasco just a few year ago.

Whatever plan emerges will also have to survive the legislative process and possibly require a statewide vote. MoDOT has shown Missourians what it can do when it has the money to do big projects. Now it must show us what can be done when new funding sources are needed.