Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Brad Lager's Capitol Report -- Fighting for Better Roads

Fighting for Better Roads in North Missouri

The 12th Senate District has over 12,000 miles of highways and roads that are life lines to our communities and our economies. These highways and farm to market routes are vitally important arteries that help to fuel our economies and grow our communities. Unfortunately, many of our farm to market routes have been untouched for decades and are now in great disrepair.

As I travel throughout the district, I cover a lot of miles on our farm to market routes. As vehicles and farm equipment get larger, traveling on these roads without shoulders and venturing over single lane bridges that were built decades ago become increasingly more dangerous. The overwhelming majority of this infrastructure was not designed nor ever upgraded to handle the current traffic demands.

For too many years, the decision makers in state government failed to recognize the unique challenges and needs that we experience in north Missouri. As a result, we have lacked the resources necessary to ensure a reliable infrastructure that adequately and safely services our communities. Our problems with bridges, lettered routes, and highways are not matters of inconvenience; they are matters of safety and protecting the avenues that fuel our communities.

In today’s world of tight budgets and fewer financial resources, it is imperative that our state government works in a logical and responsible manner to maximize and optimally utilize the financial resources available to meet the needs of Missouri’s citizens. We never ask for too much from the state, but the time has come to put additional resources towards fixing our deteriorating lettered routes so that we have a safe and reliable transportation infrastructure serving our communities.

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 brad.lager@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 422, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

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