Amendment 3 Funding

To Build Smoother Roads

JEFFERSON CITY - Funding from passage of Amendment 3 will provide thousands of miles of smooth roads on Missouri's most heavily traveled highways, officials with the Missouri Department of Transportation announced today.

MoDOT unveiled the Smooth Roads Initiative, a plan to provide 2,200 miles of smoother pavement, brighter road markings and other safety improvements in three years.   The initiative is the first part of a three-part plan to use Amendment 3 funds to improve the state's highway system.   A map specifying the selected roads was included in the announcement.

"Missourians spoke loud and clear when they voted for Amendment 3," said MoDOT Director Pete Rahn.   "By an almost four-to-one margin, they said they're not happy with current road conditions, and they want them fixed.   Starting today, that's just what we're going to do."

While a small percentage, the 2,200 highway miles account for 60 percent of all traffic on the state system.   About 86 percent of Missouri's population lives within 10 miles of one of the selected roads.   "We'll focus first on the highways that benefit the most people," Rahn said.

Improvements will include better pavement for a smoother drive, as well as brighter stripes and signs, reflective pavement markers separating lanes, improved shoulders with rumble strips, and safer guardrails.   "Time and time again, our customers tell us the most important thing we can do is make our roads smoother and easier to drive," said MoDOT Chief Engineer Kevin Keith.   "That's the focus of this program."

MoDOT will invest about $400 million in this initiative, which will be financed by bonds backed by Amendment 3 revenue.

In addition to the Smooth Roads Initiative, MoDOT will also accelerate projects already planned in its five-year construction program, as well as determine new major projects that can be completed. Specifics will be announced in coming months, after the department has worked with local officials to determine the state's highest priorities.

Please visit MoDOT's web site -- www.modot.org -- for more details on the Smooth Roads Initiative and other planned Amendment 3 improvements, including a map showing the 2,200 miles of selected roads.

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Editor's note:   For an electronic version of the Smooth Roads Initiative map suitable for publication, please contact MoDOT Public Affairs at 573-751-2840.

Amendment 3 Road Sign (100 kbs, 1 page)

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