Contact: Shana Stribling 202.224.0309 Dan Wadlington 417.889.1800
Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Washington, DC -- Missouri Senator Kit Bond and Southwest Missouri Congressman & House Majority Whip Roy Blunt have received confirmation from the U.S. Department of Transportation that $2.3 million in transportation funds are headed to Missouri. The appropriations, which will be released to the Missouri Department of Transportation, the City of Springfield, and Greene County, are the final Transportation Bill funds for fiscal year 2004, which ends this month. The funds will be used to design improvements to the Interstate-44-Highway 65 Interchange, expand the state's Intelligent Transportation System and complete a Greene County Bridge Demonstration Project. Additional funds for the projects were released earlier this year.

Blunt and Bond worked to secure a total of $2 million for design work to relieve congestion and improve safety at the heavily used interchange northeast of Springfield that links I-44 to Highway 65. The last $360,527 of that appropriation will be delivered this week. "We are going to continue working to bring more resources to this vital project," Blunt said. "Anyone who regularly uses the interchange knows it is overcrowded and dangerous. It is also very expensive and time consuming to replace. Senator Bond and I are dedicated to making that interchange safer."

"Investing in our transportation infrastructure is vital to the region's economy," said Senator Kit Bond, a senior member of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee. "These projects will not only improve the environment for job creation, but will also make travel safer for our friends and families. Congressman Blunt and I will continue to work for Southwest Missouri's top priorities."

The two ranking lawmakers also secured $4 million to improve rural traffic flow programs, known as Intelligent Transportation Systems. The final $1.29 million of a $4 million appropriation will go to cities like Branson to coordinate traffic signals and use signage and monitoring cameras to improve flow and avoid traffic bottlenecks.

An additional $643,188 will be delivered to the City of Springfield to continue planning for a city-state traffic control center that will be located in the basement of the Heer's Department Store. The new center will coordinate and monitor in real-time more than 220 signalized intersections and provide hi-tech signage warning motorists of problems and delays around Springfield.

Greene County will also receive $144,210 for the final portion of a bridge demonstration project.