JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded three projects for rural roads today, the final projects awarded in the Governor’s Rural Routes Program. The program, created with Gov. Mike Parson’s signing of the fiscal year 2024 state budget, allocated $100 million of General Revenue funds to the Missouri Department of Transportation to improve low-volume rural roads across the state.
“This investment from the state of Missouri to specifically target these minor and low volume routes is a huge boost in our effort to preserve our existing infrastructure,” said MoDOT Assistant Chief Engineer Eric Schroeter. “We’ve worked quickly to get these projects identified and awarded, and we look forward to continuing to bring these improvements to life.”
Using a data driven analysis along with conversations with local planning partners, MoDOT identified and targeted more than 1,800 lane miles of low volume roads in poor condition. The program bundled the work to address these roadways into 40 projects across the state, and once construction concludes, will have treated and improved 147 locations.
The $100 million program in fiscal year 2024 marked the second year of such an investment from the state’s General Revenue. The fiscal year 2023 program improved an additional 1,700 lane miles in 113 locations across the state.
“Today’s awards might signify the near completion of this program, but the investment in these routes doesn’t end with this program,” said Schroeter. “Our current Statewide Transportation Improvement Program includes a total of $1.74 billion worth of work on rural roads over the next five years, highlighting an historic effort to maintain in good condition the more than 57,000 minor and low volume lane miles across Missouri.”
More information on the Governor’s Rural Routes Program, including detailed project information, is available at modot.org/governors-rural-routes-program.