MODOT pushes for 10 cent gas tax increase to keep roads safe

More funding would allow the state to improve roadways and keep drivers safe, said MODOT’s Mike Belt.

“We are having more and more crashes. More and more fatalities on our roadways and the more we can do, the programs we can put out there to help keep motorists in the lanes and keep them safe,” Belt said.

Belt said I-70 is in major need of improvements and reports show the state needs to completely rebuild it. Missouri is $825 million dollars short in funding for high-priority projects.

The gas tax increase would provide the state funding to partner with cities and counties.

Belt said in the past, MODOT has made safety improvements to intersections and added rumble strips to the sides of highways to keep drivers in their lanes.