REGION WELL-POSITIONED IN ROAD REPRESENTATION

Missouri is a large state with a great many infrastructure needs. The state's rivers and roads carry with them the potential for what this state can become economically. Their proper utilization, maintenance and development will shape Missouri deep into the next century. While governmental expenditures on public works projects are dependent on a variety of factors, some of them not necessarily related to need, this region is at least well-positioned in terms of federal representation.

As a rather unique progression in Congress, four nearby federal lawmakers, three of them from Missouri, hold seats on the House Public Works and Transportation Committee. This committee, which had 51 members in the last session of Congress, affects nearly every community in the country; through its jurisdiction passes most of the federal money available to states for roads, bridges and waterways.

The congressman with most seniority on the committee is Bill Emerson of Cape Girardeau, who was elected to the House in 1980 and joined the committee in 1988. From the opposite side of the state, Mel Hancock is also a committee member, having served on the panel since his election in 1988. Glenn Poshard of Carterville, Ill., was elected to the U.S. House in 1988 and was named to the public works committee last week. Also new to the committee is Joan Kelly Horn of Ladue, elected to Congress in November.

In terms of national voice, Missouri also seems well-served by having Wayne Muri as its chief of highways. The state's top engineer is highly regarded in the nation's capital and was named last year as executive committee chairman of the national Transportation Research Board.

These officials have a great deal of work ahead of them. The five-year federal highway program expires in October and Congress is expected to shape its next phase. Southeast Missouri has specific needs that are of direct interest to Emerson and Hancock, specifically an improved east-west highway link across the southern part of Missouri. In addition, the committee can play a role in more fully utilizing the mighty rivers of this area; Poshard, for example, will look to safeguard the $1 billion Olmsted Lock and Dam project on the Ohio River.

The area deserves its fair share of federal money for public works projects. All we can ask in fighting for this fair share is representation. It appears the area is well taken care of in that regard; if these officials will do their jobs, the region's voice will be heard.