Missouri Highways Chairman Steve Miller stressed the need for a major repair overhaul of the state’s crumbling I-70, which he describes as “teeth rotting at the roots, but covered by a nice veneer.”
Drivers may see a smooth top layer of asphalt, but the substructure of the interstate is deteriorating.
Miller presented the “Road to Tomorrow” initiative led by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to local leaders of St. Louis.
Miller explained that the first portions of I-70 were built in 1957 and the highways were supposed to last about 50 years, meaning the road’s functionality expired in 2007.
He also said 60% of the Missouri’s population lives within 30 miles of I-70 and 60% of the state’s jobs are located in that corridor.
MoDOT has reduced its workforce by 20%, got rid of more than 750 pieces of equipment and sold 124 facilities since 2011 for savings of more than $605 million, the agency said. However, the downsizing is still not enough to compensate for the state’s financial shortfall.
Without any growth in state revenues, Missouri will not be able to match available federal transportation funds by fiscal year 2017. Missouri can match $1 of state funds with $4 of federal funds.
So belt-tightening leaves little room for the kind of project needed for I-70, Miller said.
