This year in Jefferson City, lawmakers passed a budget that will spend $2.8 billion toward making Interstate 70 between Kansas City and St. Louis into a six-lane highway.
During a visit to Springfield on Thursday, Gov. Mike Parson told southwest Missouri business leaders that new spending on improving nearby Interstate 44 is also in the works.
The governor said, "So through this plan we are funding the I-44 widening project from Glenstone to Route 65. We are funding the I-44 environmental study for a six-lane widening and improvement plan along the entirety of the interstate, which must be completed before moving forward. And we are making critical interchange improvements, bridge replacements along I-44.”
Parson touted his administration’s state transportation improvement plan. Five years ago, the plan received $2.5 billion in taxpayer funding. Parson told reporters in Springfield that now, the plan gets $14 billion, including money for work on I-44.
A KSMU News reporter asked, “Governor, you mentioned $125 million in I-44 investments on the part of the state of Missouri. Can you talk a little bit more about what you think the benefit of those investments will be?”
Parson said, “Oh, I think it’s huge when you look at the I-44 corridor, what kind of traffic that does. But I think getting it prepped to go to that six lanes, so there’s a lot of improvements you have to make before you can ever get to that point. I think the viaducts, the overpasses all up and down I-44 has got to be replaced. Some of the land that’s there, we’ve got to make sure all the land’s there available to do that. But I mean the $125 million is just really basically a start to get I-44 ready for six lanes.”
