by Brad Lager
This website brought to you in part by the following sponsor:
Find out how to advertise here - Email us! [email protected]
I have always believed that we need to get decision makers out of Jefferson City and into our part of the state in order for our concerns to be understood. Last week, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission traveled to northwest Missouri for their July meeting. This marked their third trip to northwest Missouri in the last three years and nearly 100 local government officials from throughout northwest Missouri welcomed them. I am proud to report that there were public officials present from each of the 16 counties in my senate district. They each brought the concerns of their communities, yet together we had one simple message: we are in desperate need of safe and reliable transportation.
Our families and our economies are forced to depend on roads that are unsafe and unreliable. It is time for that to change. We need greater attention paid to Missouri’s lettered routes. These roads not only carry our school buses, but they are also the artery our agricultural producers depend on to make a living in rural Missouri.
This message cannot just be put in front of the Commission once a year. We must get more rural areas of Missouri involved so that our message is constantly being delivered. During my five years in the State Capitol, I have consistently pushed MoDOT to repair the thousands of miles of lettered routes in our state. One of my top priorities is to ensure that we have safe and reliable transportation in northwest Missouri, and I will not stop pushing until that is a reality.
This Commission, Director Pete Rahn, and the entire MoDot staff were delighted to be back in northwest Missouri. They were very interested in learning more about our needs and discussing how we can work together to address theses challenges. Although they cannot fix everything overnight, I do believe this Commission is committed to moving Missouri forward and bettering our transportation infrastructure in a fair and practical way. I look forward to working with all of them and all of our community leaders as together we can and will address our challenges, advance our opportunities, and move Missouri forward.
As always, please feel free to call, email, or write with your ideas or concerns. The Capitol number is (573) 751-1415, my email is [email protected] and my mailing address is Room 429, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.