Highway Commission approves five-year plan road projects

Contractors for MoDOT continue work on the U.S. 54 project through Jefferson City. On Wednesday, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved its next five-year plan for road projects.
Contractors for MoDOT continue work on the U.S. 54 project through Jefferson City. On Wednesday, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved its next five-year plan for road projects.

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has approved the 2019-23 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program - the list of projects planned by state and regional agencies to be done through June 30, 2023.

The STIP is based on the Missouri Department of Transportation's long-range transportation plan, financial forecast, asset management plan and prioritization of project needs at local transportation planning organizations.

MoDOT Transportation Planning Director Machelle Watkins said the five-year plan includes 1,319 projects, which for the most part will maintain the system's current condition. This STIP allots money for improvements to 586 miles of interstate, 3,819 miles on state routes and 172 bridges.

The plan's construction budget has $900 million per year for the five-year period, up from $850 million in fiscal year 2018. But MoDOT officials said that is still insufficient to meet the state's unfunded high-priority transportation needs, estimated at an additional $825 million per year.

Projects to be done in Cole County are primarily pavement repair and resurfacing as well as guard cable installation. The majority of this work is planned for 36 miles of the U.S. 54 corridor, to be done in three projects planned for the 2019-20 fiscal year, totaling over $11 million. The pavement resurfacing projects will go from Route E to near Stadium Boulevard in Jefferson City and from the Miller County line to Route E. The guard cable work will go from the Miller County line to near Stadium Boulevard.

The 2021-22 fiscal year includes plans for bridge improvements over Moreau Creek on Route A for $625,000 and over Bois Brule Creek on Route H for $685,000.

In Callaway County, the STIP calls for Route D bridge improvements over I-70 in fiscal year 2019-20 for nearly $1.3 million.

In Miller County, a new interchange at Bagnell Dam Boulevard and Osage Hills Road on U.S. 54 would be constructed in the 2019-20 fiscal year for $9.8 million.

In Moniteau County, bridge improvements over Median Creek and Burris Fork Creek on Route CC are planned for fiscal year 2019-20 for nearly $1.3 million.

In Morgan County, in fiscal year 2020-21, pavement improvements are planned on Missouri 5 from Route W to south of Missouri 7 for $7.1 million and on U.S. 50 from the Pettis County line to just west of Business 50 West in California for $4.8 million.

In Osage County, in fiscal year 2020-21, pavement improvements and adding shoulders and sidewalk upgrades are planned from U.S. 50 to Route E and on Route E from U.S. 63 to Missouri 89 at a cost of nearly $2.6 million.

The Highways Commission updated the distribution method for safety funds in January. Some $35 million is available each year for safety funding, with $3 million dedicated to statewide initiatives.

Beginning in 2021, the remaining $32 million will be distributed to MoDOT's seven districts based on a three-year average of the number of fatalities and serious injuries on the state highway system. Currently, district safety funds are distributed based on a three-year crash average that includes fatal, injury and property damage-only crashes.

Watkins said focusing MoDOT's efforts on areas with high rates of fatalities and serious injuries is a key strategy for reducing the number of deaths on the Missouri transportation system.