Despite Parson’s monetary cut to expand I-44, drivers can still expect improvements

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Lawmakers wanted to spend three-quarters of a billion dollars to expand parts of Interstate 44 to six lanes, but the governor slashed some of the funding.

The General Assembly approved $730 million to widen I-44 from Rolla to Joplin, but Gov. Mike Parson said since the pre-work on the interstate isn’t complete, he’s not ready to spend that kind of money. In his budget vetoes last month, the governor cut $150 million from the project, but the Missouri Department of Transportation said improvements are still coming.

“Look, there’s $577.5 million to invest in I-44, in a way that we didn’t think was going to be possible a year ago,” MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna said.

It’s a vital corridor across Missouri, known as a key commercial trucking route.

“What we really concentrated on is what can we really go out there and do right now,” Parson said in an exclusive interview last week. “Whether that’s in Phelps County, Lawrence County or Laclede County, all the way up to St. Louis.”

Back in May, lawmakers sent a $52 billion budget to Parson. Within that spending plan was a request to spend nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to widen I-44 to three lanes in both directions from Rolla to Joplin.

“There’s a lot of space in between there, bridges and overpasses, and jobs that have to be done before you can ever even begin to start making I-44 six lanes,” Parson said.

After the governor cut $150 million, McKenna said there’s still $575 million left to start projects that are shovel ready. In last year’s budget, the governor approved $20 million for an environmental study to be done along the corridor.

“We know that traffic is really jamming up in Springfield along I-44, there are several projects along that vicinity in Springfield and there will be some widening to three lanes,” McKenna said. “We still have some availability of funds that aren’t designated to projects yet, about $60 million and that will help us when we get the environmental work done to target the most beneficial areas to invest in.”

McKenna said there are areas in Joplin also ready for improvements, but in Rolla, there are still environmental studies that need to be complete.

“We’re going to make sure the work that we do doesn’t preclude us from doing it, so if we’re going to do an overpass, we’re going to make sure it’s wide enough to handle three lanes underneath,” McKenna said.

Besides being longer than Interstate 70, I-44 also has a more difficult terrain. With the state’s two largest interstates set to be under construction at the same time, McKenna said it will be a challenge.

“I think policy makers did a really good job here in the state, considering how do we invest one-time money in a way that we get a multiple of returns,” McKenna said. “The community has already identified some needs and in many cases it’s pavement reconstruction on old segments of the highway. It may not expand the highway at first, but it will do necessary work in the short term and keep the interstate flowing well.”

McKenna said he expects some projects along I-44 to be out for bid later this year, with construction starting next summer.

MoDOT is looking for feedback from the community, to give input on their concerns along the interstate. There are two in-person meetings left, one in Springfield at the Crossway Baptist Church Thursday from 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m. The other meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 14 at the Wallace Center in Lebanon from 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

If you are not able to make it in person, you can submit your comments on the MoDOT website until Aug. 21.

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