The Missouri Department of Transportation, working with its regional planning partners, has outlined a draft High Priority Unfunded Needs listing. It identifies $1.1 billion in annual unfunded transportation needs. The list was created to guide the development of future work as state and federal transportation funds become available in future years. The full draft document includes $4.7 billion in Missouri road and bridge needs in three tiers.
Tier one includes $552 million and includes needs that could be accomplished during the current five-year Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) using state and federal funds as they become available. Among proposed MoDOT projects in Tier One are bridge improvements on Daviess County Route BB and Harrison County Highway 136, both over Interstate 35. Also listed on Highway 36 improvements are Mitchell Avenue in Chillicothe and Route B near Wheeling.
Tier two projects have an accumulated worth of $2.1 billion statewide and include needs beyond the current five-year STIP time frame with broad cost estimates. Included in this tier, which is more than five years away, are proposed improvements on Highway 65 at 20th Street south of Trenton. MoDOT currently lists this as a $392,000 project to increase economic growth and improve safety. Another proposed project is a bridge improvement on Grundy County Route B at Muddy Creek with an estimated cost of $1 million.
