State Transportation Officials Wait For Action On Federal Highway Bill

Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are working a new federal highway bill that could spend anywhere from $275-Billion to $318-Billion over the next six years. Those are the two amounts the US House and US Senate passed. The State Transportation Department’s Kyle Kittrell says the two proposals could mean anywhere from $120-Million to $210-Million a year in additional federal funding. And he says any extra money could expedite MoDOT’s goal of doing a better job of taking care of the system. But a presidential veto is looming on the horizon. President Bush has threatened to veto anything over $256-Billion over the next six years. However, MoDOT’s chief engineer beleives a veto is unlikely, especially since this is an election year.