Funding The State Highway System With Increased Fuel Taxes

Economy |
By Joseph Miller | Read Time 1 min

In recent decades, Missouri’s state highway system has improved both in terms of quality and safety, and it ranks well against other states on many performance measures. To maintain and improve this system in the future, Missouri will have to make timely infrastructure investments. However, MoDOT, the agency tasked with building and maintaining most of our state’s transportation infrastructure, has an unsustainable funding trajectory. Despite cuts to staff and other costsaving measures, cash available for MoDOT’s construction projects have been cut considerably in past years, preventing the department from adding any new projects to the State Transportation Improvement Project (STIP). By 2017, MoDOT’s construction budget will fall to $325 million, $160 million less than what the agency claims to need to maintain the system in its current state.

Read the full testimony for HB 738: .

Read the full testimony for HB 995: .

About the Author

Joseph Miller was a policy analyst at the Show-Me Institute. He focused on infrastructure, transportation, and municipal issues. He grew up in Itasca, Ill., and earned an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a master’s degree from the University of California-San Diego’s School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, with a concentration in international economics and China studies. 

Similar Publications

Support Us

The work of the Show-Me Institute would not be possible without the generous support of people who are inspired by the vision of liberty and free enterprise. We hope you will join our efforts and become a Show-Me Institute sponsor.

Donate
Man on Horse Charging