Last fall, the Missouri Department of Transportation closed the Worth Bridge that connects the towns of Worth and Grant City, citing what they said was significant deterioration. At the time, the DOT said that the earliest they could get to the Worth Bridge was in April of this year. Now, however, in their weekly list of highway improvement projects that they send, they say that replacement of the Worth Bridge will not occur until 2021.
In November, voters rejected a gas tax that would have addressed highway funding shortfalls. There was no organized opposition against it; however, Democratic Congressional Candidate Henry Martin, who supported the measure, said he had heard from people who thought it was a law enforcement tax.
Motorists wishing to go to Worth are being directed to go clear down south to Gentry and then back north to Worth. Motorists have also been using gravel road shortcuts, both at Knox Church and at the County Line Road; efforts by the county to keep those roads up have strained county resources and passage is not feasible during rain or snow.
In his State of the State Address Wednesday, Governor Mike Parson suggested a workaround; he proposed a $351 million bond, funded by revenue savings, to fix 250 bridges across the state, the January 17th News-Press and AP reported. That would free up existing highway funds to cover other projects. The DOT says they have an $8 billion funding shortfall over the next 10 years. The governor is also proposing to set up a $50 million cost-share program for local roads, the News-Press reported.
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