By AP/KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – State transportation commissioners plan
to decide in January whether to change Missouri's road funding formula.
The current formula directs half the road money to the St. Louis and Kansas City areas and the other half to the rest of the state.
The urban-rural split was adopted in 1998, when commissioners abandoned a 15-year road plan because it was under-funded.
Rural interests have been upset because the old 15-year plan favored their areas. Meanwhile, urban interests have expressed
concerns about a new plan potentially reducing their funding.
State highway officials say they want objective, needs-based road priorities. The problem has centered on the definition of "need."