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| February 5, 2010
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Number of Missouri Roads in Good Condition Almost Doubles |
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Missouri's Department of Transportation reported Monday that 86 percent of its major roads are now in good condition, a significant improvement from six years ago when voters approved additional funding for roads and bridges. Only 47 percent of major highways were in good condition back in 2004 when the vote on Amendment 3 occurred. "People tell me they know when they drive into Missouri because the roads get better," said MoDOT Director Pete Rahn. "They used to tell me it was because the roads got worse." MoDOT used the extra money to make 2,200 miles of the state's most heavily traveled roads smoother and safer, accelerate 55 construction projects that are now finished, and tackle 97 new projects that had been planned for years in the future. A separate program is smoothening the surfaces of hundreds of more miles of roads, and painting wider stripes, paving shoulders, and installing brighter signs. A video of Rahn discussing his state's improvements at a recent Road Gang luncheon in Washington is available on Transportation TV. Questions regarding this article may be directed to editor@aashtojournal.org. |