With new taxes or tolls unlikely, MoDOT makes the most of what it has

Two years ago, the outlook was bleak for the state transportation department: capital spending was down, tax hikes were a nonstarter, and it was nigh impossible to say how hundreds of bridges and thousands of miles of roads could be saved from deterioration.

Now, MoDOT may be "treading water," said department director Patrick McKenna in an interview Tuesday. But though the level of the department's funding is low enough that some projects that could benefit economic development can't be pursued, and proposals to raise taxes are still unlikely to go anywhere, MoDOT isn't drowning.

The department has prioritized the maintenance of existing "facilities" including roads, bridges, rail, ports and airports, McKenna said. He and other transportation officials are able to do that much thanks in part to the late 2015 passage of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which authorized $305 billion in federal funding over five years for transportation infrastructure projects.

In MoDOT's current five-year infrastructure construction plan, the department plans to award an average of $800 million in construction funds annually, McKenna said. The department also has been spending down a reserve fund and using that money to pay for capital expenses.

Read more: http://www.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/2017/03/22/new-taxes-tolls-unlikely-modot-makes-most-what-has/99250516/