State struggles to pay for road, bridge repairs

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - Missouri lawmakers have struggled to find a way to pay for repairs along thousands of miles of highways and bridges, and it's unclear if that might change in the near future.

State funding for road and bridge repairs has fallen from $1.3 billion in 2009 to about $800 million by 2017, The Kansas City Star reported. And it doesn't look like Missouri voters would approve a tax hike to pay for the repairs.

"The people of Missouri have made it very clear they are pretty opposed to raising taxes," said incoming House Speaker Pro Tem Elijah Haahr, a Springfield Republican. "That's the dilemma we face. Any sort of tax increase is just dead on arrival."

The funding shortfall takes its toll over time, said Patrick McKenna, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation. Most of the available money has to go toward trying to maintain the quality of roads and bridges at their current level, with little left to make improvements or expansions. That leaves about 70 percent of less-traveled roads in rural Missouri in good or fair condition. Out of 10,400 bridges around the state, 866 are in poor condition and another 1,200 are weight restricted.

There are more bridges added to the list of those in poor condition every year than the state is able to remove from the list by making repairs, McKenna said.

"We're trending in the wrong direction," he said.

State Sen. Dave Schatz, a Republican from Franklin County, said the Senate passed a small gas tax boost during the 2016 session, but it never got any traction in the House. Any progress on transportation funding, he said, will have to start with House leadership.

"We did the work by putting together an opportunity for the voters to make the investment in infrastructure," he said. "That was sent to the House, and they didn't take that bill up. Next year, the House is going to have to prove they are willing to make an investment in transportation funding."

Haahr suggested turning some local roads and bridges back over to county governments and providing block grants to help fund their upkeep.

McKenna said a problem with that approach is that it could make maintaining local roads more expensive. Supplies and equipment are cheaper for the state because it can purchase things in larger quantities.

Toll roads always face fierce opposition from the trucking and convenience-store industries. But McKenna said transportation officials are pondering the use of "managed lanes," which would be toll lanes that are not mandatory.

Dan Mehan, president and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said all funding solutions have to be on the table.

"We've got to do a better job of changing the dynamic of viewing our roads and bridges as an asset instead of an expense," Mehan said. "It's something we need to invest in."