MoDOT's promises in 1992 fell short

Many Mid-Missouri highway projects from 1992 resurfacing for August sales-tax vote

It may feel like déjà vu for any Missourian who remembers the Missouri Department of Transportation's 1992 15-year construction project plan known formally as "Missouri On The Move.

In 1992, the Missouri Department of Transportation made a very public promise - the department, according to a 1992 press release, would use a "six-cent gasoline tax to fund at least 350 major road improvements all across the state, providing thousands of jobs, stabilizing the economy, and increasing safety." Proponents in 1992 said the increased tax would usher Missouri's decaying transportation system into a new era of transportation supremacy.

The prescribed remedy for Missouri's transportation woes included promises of making all highways four lanes between towns of 5,000 people or larger and expanding Interstate 70 and Interstate 44 to six lanes.

A multi-page document dated Jan. 9, 1992, obtained from the state archives lists 14 projects that would be completed under the "Missouri on the Move" plan for Central Missouri.

This week, multiple MoDOT officials said they believed most of those 14 projects were completed.

However, a side-by-side comparison of Missouri maps from 1992 and 2014 show several projects were completed later under other programs, some are still in progress and others never broke ground.

The same side-by-side comparison of the plans also reveals that portions of at least eight projects in central Missouri are making a return to the priority list. Those projects include:

• Interstate 70 from Wentzville to Independence. In 1992, it was listed as an alternate project.

• Additional lanes to the U.S. 50 and the Whitton Expressway in Jefferson City.

• New interchange at U.S. 54 and Route W at the Lake of the Ozarks.

• Additional lanes to U.S. 50 from California to Tipton, with a bypass around Tipton, and additional lanes from Tipton to the Morgan County line.

• A bypass of Missouri 5 from Route YY to Interstate 44 east of Lebanon.

• Construction of a new portion of U.S. 50 at Linn.

• Construction of U.S. 63 on a new location north of Freeburg in Osage County.

• Resurface and additional shoulders on Missouri 42 from Missouri 17 to U.S. 63 in Maries and Miller counties.

A mere six years later, the 15-year plan was scrapped - underfunding and not counting for the rate of inflation were to blame.

For some, especially in rural Missouri, resentment toward the transportation department remains.

In a 2007 interview with The Associated Press, Gary Honse of Vienna said he had not forgotten - nor forgiven - the transportation department for its failure to deliver on its promise to rural Maries County.

When "they come up with a plan like that to do certain projects, those projects ought to be done," Honse said. "I'll never vote yes on a tax increase - ever."

Now in 2014, MoDOT is attempting to make another very public promise with Constitutional Amendment 7. The proposed amendment is a ¾-cent sales tax on purchases, excluding groceries, medicine and gasoline. The revenues would fund transportation construction projects and public transit initiatives across the state, according to officials.

As the August election date draws nearer, many are wondering what exactly has changed from 1992 to 2014.

Kathy Harvey, MoDOT assistant chief engineer, who joined the department in 1991, said the biggest change is the state transportation agency's interaction with the public.

"During my career here at MoDOT, I have witnessed how the department has worked to build up the public's trust," Harvey said. "We are more transparent with the public now. We have become more inclusive with the public, involving them in decision making and working with regional partners to plan the state's transportation future."

State Sen. Mike Kehoe, who has endorsed Amendment 7 said it is noticeable how the state's transportation department has been building back the public's trust, adding that in his opinion, MoDOT is not the same department it was in 1992.

"Lots of people still have the memory of 1992," Kehoe said. "MoDOT asked for a second chance with the statewide transportation implementation plan, and they have delivered so far. Now, they are asking the public for another opportunity to deliver on these new promises."

Another change Harvey said is the internal accountability measures now in place that would prevent another abandoned plan and more rural Missourians having their hopes dashed.

"Numerous things are different," Harvey said. "The constitutional amendment's language requires that (the final list of projects) are fiscally constrained. The rate of inflation is included and the public has been included every step of the way. We now recognize finalized projects as commitments (to the public). Accountability to the public and to the Legislature is our priority."

MoDOT Central District Engineer David Silvester said MoDOT was careful to not miss anything when drafting the 2014 plan.

"We have included estimated costs for construction, engineering inspection, land purchasing, utility relocation and the rate of inflation," Silvester said Thursday evening at the MoDOT open house in Jefferson City.

Kehoe said he believes, "MoDOT has become very sensitive to the needs of the public and has taken the proper precautions this time to deliver on this promise to Missourians."

Should Missouri voters give the measure its approval in August, Silvester and Harvey both said construction on the first project would not start for several months.

"We would not be getting our first revenue off the tax until early in 2015," Harvey said.

The proposed constitutional amendment has drawn fiery criticism from opponents who say the tax would hurt the poor and the middle class. They also say the constitutional amendment's language does not go far enough with internal accountability measures to prevent another 1992.

The group Missouri for Better Transportation Solutions, which consists of former state legislators, members of the St. Louis Board of Alderman, traffic officials from Kansas City and various consumer advocacy groups is one of the loudest critics.

On the coalition's website it says its members believe the 2014 plan is doomed for failure in Missouri.

"This massive spending program will achieve neither of its stated objectives - improving safety or economic growth," the group's platform reads. "The program does nothing to address any of the major causes of injuries and fatalities on our highway system. And other than short-term construction jobs, forecasts of job growth from this tax are pure fiction and not supported by any authoritative analysis or evidence."

Another critic of the plan is Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon who called the plan "neither a fair nor fiscally responsible solution to our transportation infrastructure needs."

Missouri for Better Transportation Solutions agrees.

"This is the largest tax increase in Missouri's history," the coalition states. "Missouri is struggling to pay for essential services such as public education, the social safety-net, healthcare, public safety and criminal justice. To enact the largest tax increase in our history at a time like this is hypocritical and counterproductive."

Kehoe said he was not concerned about the amendment's future.

"At the end of the day, the governor's vote matters no more than any other Missourian," Kehoe said. "Ultimately, the fate of this amendment is decided by everyday Missourians, not by the governor."

Even with its critics, the amendment has earned praise from U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, the Kansas City based AFL-CIO labor unions and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce.

McCaskill, who announced her support for the amendment in May, said she views the sales tax as a regressive measure that will hit Missouri's poor harder than wealthy Missourians. Despite this, she says she will vote for the measure because the money is needed to improve Missouri's transportation infrastructure.

Kehoe said he expects the campaign for this amendment to really jump-start after the July 9 meeting of the Missouri Transportation Commission, when the finalized priority project list is announced.

Harvey said MoDOT's role associated with the proposed sales tax increase is to develop a prioritized project list and that is what it is doing.

"Constitutional Amendment 7 provides a significant improvement to Missouri's infrastructure, to increasing safety and to create jobs throughout the state," Harvey said. "There is a true need in this state to grow our economy and to move forward in transportation and Constitutional Amendment 7 is how we get there."