A study conducted by the St. Louis-based Show-Me Institute, a free-market think tank, points to the need for public-private partnerships to address Missouri’s transportation concerns now and in the future.
Show-Me Institute Policy Analyst David Stokes, a co-author of "Missouri’s Changing Transportation Paradigm," says it does not appear as though the state, alone, will be able to address the need for new road construction and maintenance of existing roads, some of which are crumbling.
The study points to toll roads being part of the solution to the problem, stating that the Missouri Constitution does not explicitly forbid all toll roads. County and city highway departments and private entities are allowed to build and operate toll roads and bridges.
State Transportation Director Pete Rahn has said, on numerous occasions, that funding for Missouri’s transportation projects is headed for major shortfalls in the near future.
