Bond Says He Can Help, But Claims He’s No Savior

Missouri’s senior senator is seen as a savior to a beleagured transportation system in the state, but he says Missourians need to look to themselves to solve the state’s transportation woes. When it was announced Senator Bond would chair the US Senate Transportation Subcommittee now that Republicans have retaken the majority in the Senate, that that would mean Bond would be writing the renewal of the federal highway bill, many state transportation interests were ecstatic. They saw that as an indicator Missouri would be receiving more federal highway dollars. But Bond says Missouri continues to be one of 20 donor states designated to put more money into the federal transportation trust fund than it gets out and that that limits how much will come in to the state. Bond says people back home need to come up with ways to meet the funding gap, but not ways like the failed Proposition B, the transportation tax, from last summer that lost badly at the polls. Bond expresses his support for current State Transportation Director Henry Hungerbeeler, saying he will rely on Hungerbeeler to provide continuity of information while the bill is being crafted.