Proposition B would move us ahead

There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.

By Rodney D. Gray

JEFFERSON CITY -- That wisdom of President Franklin D. Roosevelt could describe the debate surrounding Missouri's stagnated transportation system. Bring up the issue of funding improvements, and everyone has a different opinion -- from how the money should be raised to where it should be spent.

But one point is undisputed: Missouri's transportation system is broken and getting worse. In the past 25 years, traffic on Missouri highways doubled, while the size of the system remained virtually the same. Standing still is no longer an option.

Without immediate action, our roads and highways will suffer more damage and congestion, our bridges will further erode, and our public transit systems will grow more crowded.

When that happens, Missouri will lose competitive ground, and our communities will struggle to grow and prosper. Travelers will become more aggravated. Worst of all, Missouri will lose more lives to senseless traffic tragedies.

Voters have an opportunity on Aug. 6 to move Missouri forward. Proposition B on the statewide ballot would fund needed improvements in roads, bridges and public transportation through a half-cent increase in the state sales tax and a fuel-tax increase of 4 cents a gallon. Each year, an additional $483 million would be generated to invest in our state's transportation infrastructure.

The Missouri Department of Transportation has released a list of projects that would be completed if Proposition B passes. All of Missouri's interstate highways would be upgraded, more than 700 bridges would be replaced, 14,000 miles of lettered routes would be resurfaced and our crowded public transit systems would be expanded.

Not only would communities across the state benefit from Proposition B, taxpayers would be assured that their tax dollars would be spent wisely. The law says the money could not be diverted for other purposes. It requires that schedules and timelines be met, that internal and external audits be performed and that the public be continually informed of progress.

The need is clear. Missouri's roadways are rated the third-worst in the nation. Our bridges the second-worst. In 2000, more than 1,100 people were killed and more than 76,000 were injured in traffic accidents in Missouri, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The numbers confirm what we already know firsthand. A trip across Missouri is often an experience in delay and decay. And for some, it's even more tragic. Now we have a way to fix that and move forward.

Missouri is at a critical crossroads. We will either build a better transportation system and move ahead, or we will continue to crumble and fall behind. We will either fix our dangerous roadways, or we will risk further injury and death. We will either bring our metropolitan areas into the 21st century, or we will logjam at the threshold.

Voters have an important decision to make that will have a wide-ranging impact for years to come. Proposition B on Aug. 6 is the opportunity that Missouri has now to address our urgent needs. We can no longer afford to stand still.

Rodney D. Gray is director of the Time for Missouri Committee, a coalition of groups interested in the future of transportation in Missouri.