JEFFERSON
CITY, MO
– House Speaker Steven Tilley Appointed SSE Marketing Director Rod Jetton and
Bill McKenna to Co-Chair the Blue Ribbon Citizens Transportation
Committee. It was tasked with addressing
existing and future Missouri transportation issues. Working alongside the Missouri Department of
Transportation, the Blue Ribbon Committee met at several locations throughout
the state to discuss local issues and funding ideas. At each meeting the committee listened to
concerned citizens input on transportation projects and funding ideas, as well
as a presentation on local projects from MoDOT officials. The meetings were
attended by over 600 concerned citizens discussing the future of Missouri
transportation projects. Tilley said,
“Former Speaker Jetton is an expert on Missouri transportation issues and is
respected for his past work on transportation problems. His 236 mile walk to Jefferson City in 2001
and his support of Amendment 3 in 2004, as well as his Speaker’s Transportation
tour in 2007, all helped to improve the dialog and progress of transportation
issues in Missouri.”
Most meetings began with MoDOT Director Kevin
Keith discussing the substantial funding loss MoDOT has experienced. Keith
explained that Missouri transportation needs are financed by fuel taxes,
vehicle licensing and sales tax on motor vehicle purchases. According to Keith,
Missouri's 17-cent state fuel tax has not changed since 1992, though MoDOT
expenses have risen substantially. MoDOT revenue, as a result, has decreased by
2 percent for four years in a row, due to more fuel efficient vehicles and
people tending to drive less.
“MoDOT
has done an impressive amount of work cutting costs,” said Jetton. “Under
Director Keith’s Leadership, MoDOT has trimmed over $500 million, (20%), from
their budget, which will ensure an even larger percentage of our highway funds
go to roads. They have made the same tough choices families and small
businesses have had to make in this rough economy. Reducing staff and closing facilities shows
their commitment to building roads, but these MoDOT reductions will not solve
the funding crisis by themselves.”
Citizens
attending were given time to speak to the committee on transportation issues
and funding solutions. The main theme
heard from citizens dealt with how transportation projects could improve safety
and create jobs. Some of the top
concerns were one lane and deficient bridges, no shoulders, safety cables and
rumble strips, intersection improvement, crowded interstates, expansions of
highways, more access points on highways, deeper ports, bicycle paths, and
better public transportation.
Many
citizens who provided testimony also had suggestions for how to pay for the
needed improvements. Fuel and sale tax
increases were the top two mentioned items, but license and registration fees,
vehicle miles traveled fees, and toll roads, were some of the other ideas
suggested. Jetton added, “We heard some
very pressing needs on how to improve safety and help our economy. It was estimated the suggested improvements
would probably take an extra billion dollars a year to build, and while nobody
wants higher taxes, we also heard some great suggestions on how Missouri
citizens can raise the money to pay for the needs.”
The
committee also heard some very interesting facts about Missouri’s transportation
system, which included:
·
MoDOT is responsible for the 7th largest
road system in America
·
Missouri has 33,702 miles of state highways. Of these, 6,000 miles are
considered to be major roadways – they carry 80 percent of the State's traffic
and 88 percent of them are rated in good condition. The remaining 27,000+ miles
are classified as minor routes. These highways, which are generally in rural
areas, need more attention and improvements – 72 percent are rated in good
condition.
·
Missouri has 10,405 bridges on the State system. The average bridge is 46 years
old and over 2,200 are deficient and in need of repair. Maintaining safe
bridges is not only extremely important, but also very expensive. Replacing
them all would cost $5 billion and each year, at least another 100 bridges are
added to this deficient category.
·
Freight Rail plays an important role in
Missouri’s transportation system. Kansas
City has the second largest rail hub in the country and St. Louis is the third
largest. The State has 4,400 miles of mainline track, 2,500 miles of yard track,
and 7,000 grade crossings.
·
MoDOT’s construction program has fallen
from $1.2 billion in 2010 to less than $700 million today.
·
It takes almost $600 million to maintain
the State’s existing system.
·
While MoDOT is responsible for the 7th
largest road system in America, it is funded with the 6th lowest gas tax in the
country.
·
The Federal Fuel Tax makes up 45 percent
of MoDOT’s revenue.
·
State Fuel Tax revenues account for 22
percent of MoDOT’s revenue.
·
Motor Vehicle and License Fees account
for 12 percent of MoDOT's revenue.
·
State Sales Tax on Vehicles generates 12
percent of MoDOT's revenue.
As
a new state representative in 2001, Jetton was one of the harshest critics of
MoDOT. He made a 236 mile trek from his
district in southeast Missouri to Jefferson City to protest MoDOT’s handling of
the 15 year plan. Many were surprised
when he was selected to serve on the panel, and when asked what he thought was
most interesting about the hearings Jetton stated, “No doubt it’s the
perception of MoDOT.” He continued, “In
all my past travels around Missouri most of the comments concerning MoDOT were
negative. This year they were almost all
positive. Folks kept complementing MoDOT
employees and thanking them for the projects they were building. I think MoDOT has improved in two areas. They changed their attitude and started
listing to citizens, and they improved their operation and made sure projects
were done on time and under budget.”
The
committee wrapped up the hearings in September and has been meeting and working
on a comprehensive report. House
communications officer Joe Engler indicated that the report should be ready to
issue to Speaker Jones’s office before session starts in January. “Co-Chairman
McKenna and all the committee members have put a great deal of time and energy
into attending these hearings, listing to the suggestions and working on a
comprehensive report that will help our legislative leaders move Missouri’s transportation
needs forward. Each of them deserves
high praise for the efforts,” added Jetton.
Jetton’s
full time job is with Schultz Surveying and Engineering as their marketing
director. SSE owner Stan Schultz said,
“The Blue Ribbon Citizen’s Committee work has kept Rod busy and put him behind
on a few SSE tasks, but we realize how important this issue is and are proud to
have one of our employees working to move Missouri’s transportation needs
forward.”
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