Missouri Anticipates Drop in Transportation Program Funding

The Missouri Highways & Transportation Commission has approved a new five-year transportation construction program that shows spending for Missouri's roads and bridges will plummet in fiscal year 2010, which begins July 1, 2009, to a program where limited funding will cover minimal maintenance and safety work.

The 2009–2013 transportation program includes $300 million in new construction projects because lengthened bond terms and lower than expected interest rates provided additional Amendment 3 bonding capacity. The $140 million bonded amount, combined with state savings from using Practical Design on projects and local matching funds, allows the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to tackle these new highway projects over the next five years, including additional lanes, interchange improvements and congestion relief.

"The program that's been approved marks the shift from having the opportunity to build new projects to barely maintaining what we have," said MoDOT Director Pete Rahn.

Missouri transitions from a construction program averaging $1.23 billion to a construction program of about $575 million in 2013. Compounding the funding problem, says MoDOT, is an expected decline in federal revenue, and rising fuel and construction costs.

The 2009–2013 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program lists all transportation projects planned by state and regional planning agencies for fiscal years 2009 through 2013. It totals $5.8 billion, with approximately $4.35 billion going to about 730 highway and bridge projects, about $810 million to other transportation modes, and approximately $640 million to local transportation programs.

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Nebraska Department of Road (NDOR) has released its fiscal year 2009 Surface Transportation Program. This publication reflects how the department allocates the taxpayer's highway user dollars to provide the best statewide highway system possible for all Nebraskans and the traveling public.

The 2009 state highway system program is published at $317 million and is funded from state and federal highway user fees. The local system program for city streets and county roads totals $252 million and is funded with state, federal and local highway user revenues.

According to NDOR, a total of 153 new projects will be let to contract on the state highway system during fiscal year 2009 (July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009). Projects will range in size from small projects for armor coating, crack sealing, joint sealing, fog sealing, pavement milling, bridge repair and rehabilitation, traffic signals, intersection modifications, and lighting to large projects such as two- and four-lane grading, resurfacing, surfacing and viaducts, six-lane interstate expansion, and bridge projects.

Some of the larger projects include continuation of six-laning the interstate between Lincoln and Omaha, the Fremont South bridge, the Columbus viaduct on U.S 30/U.S. 81, Hastings West on U.S. 6, Alliance North on Highway 87, Thedford South on U.S. 83, Stratton East on U.S. 34, and Chambers Jct. South on U.S. 281.

Iowa Governor Chet Culver has named Lt. Governor Patty Judge to head the state's new Rebuild Iowa Office. The office will coordinate the work of state agencies in responding to this year's storms; maximize federal assistance to the state; secure efficient delivery of state and federal resources to recovery efforts; and ensure that resources are being strategically applied toward rebuilding a stronger Iowa.

Kiewit Building Group Inc., Omaha, NE, has been awarded a $60.8-million firm fixed price contract for a new medical and dental clinic. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, work will be performed at Fort Carson, CO, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 26, 2010.