By Lou Creamer, MoDOT St. Louis Transportation Planner
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| The DRAFT Statewide Transportation Improvement Program for 2019-2023 |
Why don’t they just add another
lane? When are they going to fix my
road? Why don’t they just put a signal
at this intersection? These are all
valid questions when it comes to state maintained roads and bridges.
As MoDOT employees, we understand
that your tax money is valuable. We
don’t take lightly the responsibility of being a steward of the taxpayer
dollars you pay and that’s why there is a process in place to make sure we get
the best projects for the dollars we have.
The process is started after a need
is identified either by a local government, MoDOT’s planning committee or the
public (yes, we do read and listen to your comments). The need is then studied, or “scoped” as we
call it, to see what the problem is and explore the best possible solution.
Plans are developed and costs are
analyzed to find the most cost effective way to move forward. Projects are then reviewed, prioritized and
placed in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. The STIP, as we call it, covers a five year
period and is updated every year. The STIP
is then put out for public comment. In
fact, the newest draft STIP is out for comment right now. We want to know the public’s thoughts and
concerns about the projects and needs in their area.
Comments are then presented to the
Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for review before they approve the
final STIP at the July 11 meeting.
To comment on the current draft
STIP, go to http://www.modot.org/plansandprojects/construction_program/DRAFT_STIP2019-2023/index.htm. The comment period ends July 6.
