The push to jump-start highway building projects in the 15-year road plan is on a fast track in the state senate. The House and Senate have worked on separate two-billion dollar bond proposals for road and bridge-building. The house version is headed to the senate for debate…with senate changes already built into it. The House wants some of the money spent for “preservation.” The Senate prefers all-new construction, but all projects to be tied to the 19-92 fifteen-year road plan. All of these maneuvers set the stage for a compromise that Senator John Russell of Lebanon thinks will help the transportation department regain public credibility. Quick Senate action is expected, setting the stage for what leaders in both chambers think will be a short negotiating session on a compromise, and then fnal passage. As optimistic as lawmakers seem to be about getting the bond issue approved, they’re also realistic about it…noting that two-billion dollars is not even close to the money needed to do what needs to get done with Missouri’s roads and bridges.
