A study of population growth patterns in Missouri suggests the state expects too much from a transportation system that is unable to keep up with where we’re growing. The Brookings Institution, the nation’s oldest public policy study organization, says uncontrolled growth has stretched the transportation system beyond the capacity of the state to pay for further expansion and maintenance at the same time. Study author Bruce Katz says the transportation system is under what he calls “enormous stress,” as people demand roads to the open areas not now connected with any infrastructure. He says the state and its citizens need to change their thinking about transportation, and look for ways to rely less on the automobile. The Brookings Institution says the state must take a hard look at the costs of growth, which it says sometimes outweigh the benefits.