The 8th Congressional District is centrally located and therefore has a significant amount of traffic, commercial and commuter, throughout the district. Safe and reliable roads are essential to our way of life, as well as the rural economy. As an advocate for our rural district, I have supported numerous transportation projects throughout the district, from Highways 60 and 67, to interstate interchanges and the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge. It is absolutely vital that our transportation infrastructure is functional and safe.

Rural areas face unique challenges that many from urban districts overlook. We often travel great distances to get to work, church, or run basic errands and therefore rely on safe roadways to transport us to where we need to go. With the significant distances we travel, we also disproportionally impacted when the federal or state government contemplates increases in gas taxes. We also lack the public transit systems that many in urban areas rely upon; therefore we must find other means to transport individuals who do not have their own vehicle.

The Highway Bill

Unfortunately, the single-best piece of legislation Congress could act upon to improve our present and future economic conditions is foundering under the current leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives. The five-year reauthorization of federal transportation spending projects is a major sources of jobs and a much-needed component of our country’s economic infrastructure. I have strongly urged the House to take up this important legislation, but it remains sidelined in congressional committees in favor of much less effective “stimulus” bills.

Safe Roads

Proper signs, four-lane construction and better intersections are hallmark improvements to our region’s transportation infrastructure that keep highway travel safe for the tens of thousands of Eighth Congressional District residents who use our roads every day to travel to school, to work, or to the local store. Properly-constructed and well-maintained roads do more than reduce the number of accidents and fatalities along our highways, they also contribute to better fuel mileage and fewer repairs for the families and businesses who rely on our highways.

River Transportation

The locks and dams that keep our rivers navigable also provide the most critical corridors for commerce in our country. Especially along the Mississippi River, river transportation moves millions of tons of freight at a fraction of the cost and fuel consumption that would be incurred by transporting the same amount of goods over the road by trucks.

Hand-in-hand with river transportation is the responsibility to assure the safety of the people and property alongside our rivers. Flood protection is a major obligation for Congress, and a major challenge for the entities charged with preventing disasters along our nation’s major waterways. I take the oversight responsibility of Congress very seriously as I work to promote the safety of our communities along the river.

Emerson Says Stimulus Effect Lagging on MO Highways

Links of Interest:

Missouri Department of Transportation: www.MODOT.org
U.S. Department of Transportation: www.dot.gov