By Ray McCarty, president/CEO, Associated Industries of Missouri
May 4, 2023 - Rebuilding and expanding I-70 from four to six lanes from Kansas City to St. Louis was a very distant dream that few of us thought possible just six months ago. But a broad coalition of associations, labor and civic leaders and businesses worked together all session long to accomplish this monumental goal and we are on the verge of success.
The budget that must be completed by 6:00 p.m. tomorrow evening according to the Missouri Constitution includes $2.8 billion to rebuild and expand I-70, as well as additional funding for preparatory work on I-44 and $100 million for other highways statewide.
This generational investment will be transformational in terms of improving safety, relieving congestion, and helping Missouri turn a highway that has become a liability into one of our most valuable assets for the future.
Of course, the impact on safety is easy to understand. Additional lanes give drivers more room to react when unexpected events occur. While congestion to many drivers may only be an inconvenience, for businesses that depend on "just in time delivery" of raw materials or delivery of finished goods, an hour-long delay can cost them a million dollars or more.
Whether you live along I-70 or within a certain distance from the highway is irrelevant. Because of its importance to the trucking industry and our central location, the condition of I-70 affects everyone in Missouri and many others throughout the nation. Food at local grocery stores likely contains food that traveled at some point on I-70. Anyone traveling from rural areas to sports or music events in Kansas City or St. Louis often use that interstate. The fact is nearly every Missourian will benefit from improvement of this extremely important highway.
That is why many associations and civic, business and labor leaders, including Associated Industries of Missouri and the Missouri Transportation and Development Council that I represent, worked together to support the Missourians for Transportation Investment (MFTI) led by Jeff Glenn, and get the job done. We met with Governor Mike Parson January 12 to discuss the plan and he endorsed a major portion of the plan in his State of the State address. MFTI hosted multiple lobby days and many folks visited key legislators about the plan several times over the course of this session. We issued editorials supporting the plan in March. And we have continued to make this a priority as legislators deliberate the 2024 budget.
Using a combination of surplus money and bonding, the budget that will be voted upon by the House and Senate in the coming days will provide the funding necessary to get the project done. This is the best use of one-time money: an infrastructure investment that will endure for decades.
Assuming the legislature passes the funding, please let the organizations and businesses listed below know you appreciate the massive investment of time and energy that went into this project, the end of which is now in sight. We will keep you posted of developments as the budget is considered by the House and Senate. Here are the true transportation champions that accomplished this monumental victory for Missourians:
ABNA Engineering, Inc.
Affinis Corp
Alfred Benesch & Company
American Council of Engineering Companies of Missouri
American Public Works Association - Missouri Chapter
American Society of Civil Engineers - St. Louis Section
Anderson Engineering, Inc.
Associated Industries of Missouri
Associated General Contractors of Missouri
Bartlett & West
Burns & McDonnell
CFS Engineers, P.A.
Civil Design, Inc.
Columbia Chamber of Commerce
Delta Companies, Inc.
Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City
EDM Incorporated
EFK Moen LLC
Engineering Design Source Inc
Farnsworth Group, Inc.
Gateway ITE
GBA
Geiger Ready-Mix
Geotechnology
GlennView
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
Hanson Professional Services Inc.
HDR Engineering Inc.
Heavy Construction Laborers' Local #663
Heavy Constructors Association of Greater Kansas City
Hg Consult, Inc.
HNTB
Horner & Shifrin, Inc.
H R Quadri Contractors, LLC
H W Lochner Inc
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 101
Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce
Kimley-Horn
Lamp Rynearson, Inc.
Lochmueller Group
Missouri AFL-CIO
Missouri Asphalt Pavement Association
Missouri Association of Counties
Missouri Concrete Association
Missouri Corn Growers Association
Missouri Farm Bureau
Missouri Limestone Producers Association
Missouri Municipal League
Missouri Society of Professional Engineers
Missouri Transportation & Development Council
Missouri Trucking Association
Missourians for Transportation Investment
Modjeski and Masters, Inc.
MO/KS American Concrete Pavement Association
Municipal League of Metro St. Louis
Oates Associates, Inc.
Pace Construction Company
Palmerton & Parrish, Inc.
Prairie Engineers, P.C.
SCI Engineering, Inc
SITE Improvement Association
St. Charles Regional Chamber
TranSystems
Veenstra & Kimm, Inc.
Volkert, Inc
Wilson & Company
WSP USA