MoDOT Says Transportation Funding Looks More Optimistic

The Missouri Department of Transportation credits cheap gasoline prices and some unexpected help from Washington for creating a more optimistic picture for road maintenance. Gas tax revenue is up because the price of a gallon of gas has dropped precipitously and the first federal highway bill to be passed in more than seven years means guaranteed money the state hadn’t planned on having. Transportation officials say they will make sure they can access all of the available federal money. At one point, the state had said it wouldn’t have enough money to fully maintain its roads as soon as next year.