Our wonderful Governor

[3Rfan]

Just used his line item veto power to cut 10 million dollars out of a bill that passed both houses in Missouri that was to be spent on acquiring right of way and moving utility poles to clear the way for extending the 4-lane highway on to the Arkansas line. This route has been designated to become I-57 from Sikeston through Poplar Bluff and on to the Arkansas line where it will meet with the Arkansas project coming north out of Walnut Ridge and be I-57 all the way to Little Rock. It is currently U.S. 60 from Sikeston to P.B. and U.S. 67 from P.B. on into Arkansas and the plan is to raise all of it to Interstate standards between Sikeston and P.B. This new portion built to interstate standards would give truckers a more direct route from Chicago to Dallas, Tx. and help the economy of every town along that route. The governor has just shot a big hole in that plan unless they can come up with a more federal funds to keep it going. They are about extend it another 4 miles but that will make it end at Neelyville just a few miles south of P.B.

 

[MoSooner69]

The budget he signed (with some vetoes) was THREE WEEKS AGO. He left a lot of highway and bridge improvement $$$$ in there.

 

[HomeyR]

Just used his line item veto power to cut 10 million dollars out of a bill that passed both houses in Missouri that was to be spent on acquiring right of way and moving utility poles to clear the way for extending the 4-lane highway on to the Arkansas line. This route has been designated to become I-57 from Sikeston through Poplar Bluff and on to the Arkansas line where it will meet with the Arkansas project coming north out of Walnut Ridge and be I-57 all the way to Little Rock. It is currently U.S. 60 from Sikeston to P.B. and U.S. 67 from P.B. on into Arkansas and the plan is to raise all of it to Interstate standards between Sikeston and P.B. This new portion built to interstate standards would give truckers a more direct route from Chicago to Dallas, Tx. and help the economy of every town along that route. The governor has just shot a big hole in that plan unless they can come up with a more federal funds to keep it going. They are about extend it another 4 miles but that will make it end at Neelyville just a few miles south of P.B.

I'm curious about this... How far is it from Neelyville to the Arkansas line ? It appears to be just a very few miles. Why not just finish it ? I would think that the completion of this project would be an economic boon to those Missouri communities along this route.

 

[3Rfan]

It's about 15 miles. Poplar Bluff voted for a little extra sales tax to help pay for the project to where it is now as they did years ago to help complete 67 highway to 4-lanes from Fredericktown to just north of P.B. It would be very good for any towns along the way when it's completed to meet to up with the Ark. project which still has about 30 miles to go. That and the fact it will be much safer traveling on divided 4-lane than the narrow 2 lane it is now. The wrecks and deaths on 67 between P.B. and Fredericktown went way down when it was all made 4-lane divided highway.

 

[3Rfan]

The budget he signed (with some vetoes) was THREE WEEKS AGO. He left a lot of highway and bridge improvement $$$$ in there.

 

[3Rfan]

I know that, he left lots of money in there to expand I-70 which has been a lots of lanes for YEARS!!!