Focus on Bridges
More than 100 bridges in Missouri have been rehabilitated or replaced by Missouri Department of Transportation over the last 18 months (with 150 more fixes planned), making the transportation system more resilient for future use. This was made possible after Missouri’s bridge program received a much-needed boost in 2019.
Stressing the need to fund Missouri’s infrastructure, Gov. Mike Parson, in his “State of the State” address, asked the Missouri General Assembly to consider a concurrent resolution to fund 250 bridge projects – bridges already programmed for repair or replacement in the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.
The legislature ultimately approved $301 million in bonding revenue to repair or replace 215 bridges, contingent upon the department receiving collateral funding in the form of a federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant.
In addition, the legislature included $50 million in general revenue in the fiscal year 2020 state budget to repair or replace 45 bridges throughout the state and $50 million for a cost-share program.
In late July 2019, Missouri was awarded $81.2 million in INFRA funds toward replacement of the I-70 Missouri River Bridge at Rocheport and construction of I-70 climbing lanes at Mineola Hill in Montgomery County, the largest competitive grant MoDOT has ever received. The award also initiated the governor’s “Focus on Bridges” program.
The $301 million bonding program also frees up $301 million from the current STIP for new transportation improvement projects.
Project awards began in the fall of 2019, and by the close of 2020, 101 bridges had either been replaced or rehabilitated, with many more scheduled for 2021.
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2021
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2020
