Missouri’s governor is calling on state lawmakers to again fully fund the K-12 education foundation formula with an additional $120-million over last year’s levels. Governor Mike Parson (R) also wants lawmakers to fully fund school transportation across Missouri. The governor unveiled his proposed $52-billion state operating budget on Wednesday in Jefferson City, and he outlined his legislative priorities during his 2024 State of the State address. The governor is proposing another 3.2 percent pay raise for state employees. Governor Parson joined us live on 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri”, saying the everyday operation of state government depends on good people. He also provided more details on the $90-million federal transportation grant obtained by U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Tarkio). Governor Parson says that money is in additional funds to put toward projects on I-70. Governor Parson tells listeners that the $90-million frees up money to go to other projects. The governor also discussed his recommendation to establish the I-44 improvement fund:
(LISTEN): Key state senator says Missouri is spending $80 to $110-million on maintenance on aging I-70
The Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee chair is defending Missouri’s $2.8 billion plan to rebuild and expand I-70 to six lanes from St. Louis to Kansas City.
State Sen. Lincoln Hough (R-Springfield) joined us live on 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri”. He responded to House Transportation Accountability Committee chair Rep. Don Mayhew’s (R-Crocker) comments that the I-70 project is the biggest boondoggle in Missouri history. Mayhew says I-44 should be six-laned instead.
“What the (state) representative I guess maybe doesn’t understand is that I-70 is actually a shovel-ready environmental study works already been done. It’s ready to go. The awarding of the first bid I think is going to happen by the end of February you know starting in Columbia and heading east over to Kingdom City,” says Senator Hough.
He tells listeners that I-70 is the nation’s oldest interstate. Senator Hough also tells “Wake Up” that Missouri is currently spending anywhere from $80-million to $110-million per year on I-70 maintenance. He also says the $2.8 billion I-70 expansion plan contains $20-million for environmental study work on I-44.
“Again it’s kind of unfortunate because if you’re the chair I guess of (Missouri) House Transportation Accountability Committee, you should probably know this stuff. But the environmental study work hasn’t even been completed on I-44,” says Senator Hough.
You can hear the full “Wake Up” interview with Senator Hough here.
(LISTEN): Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee chair Lincoln Hough (R-Springfield) discusses I-70 expansion on “Wake Up Mid-Missouri”
Powerful State Sen. Lincoln Hough (R-Springfield) chairs the Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee in Jefferson City. He spearheaded the bipartisan effort for Missouri’s $2.8 billion I-70 expansion plan. I-70 will be rebuilt and six-laned across Missouri from St. Louis to Kansas City. Missouri House Transportation Accountability chair Rep. Don Mayhew (R-Crocker) describes the $2.8 billion I-70 plan as the largest boondoggle in Missouri history. Senator Hough joined us live on 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri”, and he disagrees with Chairman Mayhew’s position. Chairman Hough notes I-70 is the nation’s oldest interstate and tells listeners that it’s shovel-ready. He also says the state is currently spending $80 to $110-million a year just to maintain I-70. Representative Mayhew wants to see I-44 six-laned instead. Senator Hough tells listeners that there are parts of I-44 that are ready:
(LISTEN): Veteran Missouri lawmaker says I-44 should be six-laned before I-70
A powerful Missouri state lawmaker describes the $2.8 billion plan to rebuild and expand I-70 to six lanes across the state as the biggest boondoggle in Missouri history.
House Transportation Accountability chairman Don Mayhew (R-Crocker) joined us live on 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” to explain why he’s filed a one-page bill to change the name of I-70 in Missouri to I-44 and the name of I-44 in Missouri to I-70.
“I can’t find a single, going through MoDOT’s studies and reports and everything going back a few years, I can’t find a single engineering reason why you would choose I-70 for three-laning in each direction instead of, let’s say, I-44,” Mayhew says.
Mayhew tells listeners that I-44 in his district should be six-laned. Representative Mayhew, a former MoDOT engineer, says I-44 in his district and across the state has much more truck traffic than I-70.
“If you just look at freight tonnage alone, MoDOT’s own studies said that there’s about nine times the freight tonnage that travels on I-44. And in fact there’s four routes in Missouri that carry more freight tonnage that I-70 does,” says Mayhew.
You can listen to the full interview with Chairman Mayhew here, and you can also weigh in on the issue on the 939 the Eagle Facebook page.
(LISTEN): Missouri House Transportation Accountability committee chairman Rep. Don Mayhew (R-Crocker) discusses I-70 name change bill on “Wake Up Mid-Missouri”
Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) signed legislation into law in August that provides $2.8 billion to rebuild and expand I-70 to six lanes across Missouri, from St. Louis to Kansas City. The governor signed the bipartisan bill at Moberly Area Community College’s parking lot in Columbia, near I-70. A key state lawmaker doesn’t like that project. Missouri House Transportation Accountability Committee chair Don Mayhew (R-Crocker) describes the $2.8 billion I-70 plan as the biggest boondoggle in Missouri history. He’s filed a one-page bill that changes the name of I-70 in Missouri to I-44 and the name of I-44 in Missouri to I-70. Chairman Mayhew joined us live on 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri”, telling listeners that I-44 in his district should be six-laned. Mayhew, a former MoDOT engineer, says he can’t find a single MoDOT engineering reason describing why I-70 should be six lanes. He also tells listeners that I-44 has nine times more freight tonnage than I-70. Chairman Mayhew jokes it must be the name, so hence the bill. He’s trying to send a message: