Defining the Missouri Infrastructure Funding Crisis

There's a looming funding crisis for Missouri roads. It's no surprise, but the issue is back in the spotlight as MoDOT Director Kevin Keith is publicly speaking about the need for additional revenue. St. Louis and Missouri have a serious problem. Our roads are crumbling and 29% of our bridges are "structurally deficient" or "functionally obsolete." The St. Charles Rock Road overpass is literally crumbling onto the highway beneath it and the Delmar Avenue I-170 overpass has been deemed unsafe and closed.

So what are we told is at the heart of the crisis? Funding for new road projects. We like new road projects more than maintaining what we have and MoDOT is warning that those new projects will grind to a halt without new money. In 2004, Missouri voters passed Amendment 3, allocating all revenue from vehicle sales and fuel tax to roads, and ending the practice of splitting that revenue between roads and the general fund. MoDOT has now maxed out the debt it can carry on the Amendment 3 bonds. Servicing that debt will cost $300M per year through 2020.