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Transportation Planning Important By Richard Cavender 3-17-10 You would think that as transportation construction dollars “dry up,” there would be less need to plan projects and prioritize transportation needs. But with the number of needs continuing to grow and the dollars to address them shrinking, the need to select the ones that are needed the most becomes even more important. This is better done at the local level than by the state transportation planners. MoDOT recognizes the importance of local input, and that is why they partnered with each rural regional planning commission in Missouri to provide a Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) that will identify and prioritize transportation needs in their region. It started out as experiment, but the trial partnership between the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) turned into a long-term relationship that has spanned some 14 years and has spread to all 17 rural regions of the state. In the Meramec Region, there are three people appointed by each of the eight county commissions, which make up the region. Those 24 people meet every other month at the MRPC office in St. James. Dent County representatives are Dent County Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles, Salem Mayor Gary Brown and Salem Publisher Donald Dodd, who also sits on the board of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission as the TAC liaison. Sometimes, the TAC prioritizes major projects in the region. Things like the new bridge over the Missouri River at Hermann or improvements to Highway 72 between Rolla and Salem—those were the TAC’s first priorities back in 1997. Those projects were completed, and the TAC established new priorities—four-laning Highway 63 through the Meramec Region and improving Highway 50 through Osage and Gasconade counties as well. These priorities are presented to the other regions across the state and along with their priorities are ranked. Statewide planning partners just completed a prioritization session in February, and right now, Highway 63 is ranked as the second highest priority in the state, and Highway 50 is ranked number 25 out of 32 statewide projects. It is always a tough process because all the proposed projects are needed and worthy of improvement. If and when funding is found for these projects, MoDOT will honor those priorities. At other meetings, the TAC members will identify or recommend smaller projects that require fewer resources for MoDOT to accomplish. Sometimes these are safety issues requiring new signage or improving visibility at intersections. Other times, the need may be for adding shoulders, widening a bridge or straightening curves on Highway 32 in Dent County. No matter what the issue or need is, MoDOT staff is there to listen and find a solution, as resources allow. So much so that local officials are complimenting the job the MoDOT staff is doing, especially their willingness to listen. The State Highway Commission has worked hard to regain credibility with the citizens of this state. Ever since the early 1990s when promises were made that could not be met, the state has tried to improve the planning process. Even now as federal transportation funding has been reduced, MoDOT is changing some of its business practices so that it can stand firm behind the transportation projects to which it has committed. They have found that by arming local people with knowledge and including them in the decision-making process has vastly broadened the team who is looking for transportation solutions. At some point in the future, we will have to ask ourselves whether we are willing to pay more for better transportation infrastructure. These local decision-makers who sit on transportation advisory committees across Missouri will be key in sharing information that will help Missouri voters answer that question. |