Skip to main content

MoDOT launches guide to transportation funding

In an effort to inform Missourians on the current status and future direction of their transportation system, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has issued the Citizen’s Guide to Transportation Funding to explain where the money comes from and where it is spent. It also includes a calculator so people can figure out their monthly costs for transportation taxes and fees. Missouri ranks 47th nationally in revenue per mile, primarily because it has the nation’s seventh largest road system with 33
December 15, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
In an effort to inform Missourians on the current status and future direction of their transportation system, 1773 Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has issued the Citizen’s Guide to Transportation Funding to explain where the money comes from and where it is spent. It also includes a calculator so people can figure out their monthly costs for transportation taxes and fees.

Missouri ranks 47th nationally in revenue per mile, primarily because it has the nation’s seventh largest road system with 33,873 miles of highways, which is funded with one of the lowest fuel taxes in the country: 17 cents per gallon.

Missouri also ranks sixth nationally in the number of bridges with 10,394. This does not include the city and county system of roads and bridges, which includes an additional 97,000 miles of county roads and city streets and nearly 14,000 bridges.

Missouri’s transportation revenue totalled almost US$2.5 billion in fiscal year 2016. Nearly two-thirds of the revenue came from state user fees and one-third from federal revenue. A small fraction of funds came from Missouri’s General Revenue Fund, which receives revenue from the state income tax and the state’s general sales tax.

MoDOT does not receive the entire US$2.5 billion of transportation revenue, or the US$30 per month from the average Missouri driver. After allocations to cities, counties, other state agencies and debt payment, MoDOT received US$1.4 billion of transportation revenues in fiscal year 2016 to invest in the state transportation system. That equates to about $17 of the $30 per month Missouri drivers are paying.

Cities and counties in Missouri receive a share of state and federal transportation revenues for projects of their choosing. In fiscal year 2016, that totalled US$408 million – US$270 million in state funds and US$138 million in federal funds.

Over the last 20 years, due to inflation and ever-improving vehicle fuel economy, the purchasing power of Missouri’s state fuel tax has effectively dropped from 17 cents to 8 cents during a time when the cost of the primary road and bridge building materials of asphalt, concrete and steel have doubled. Labour costs have also significantly risen during that time frame.

Missouri’s revenue per mile is US$50,766, while the national average is US$216,533.

Related Content

  • Tolling Matters: Getting the balance right
    January 18, 2023
    The concept of road usage charging (RUC) is slowly coming to the fore. But it isn’t just a question of good fiscal sense – it’s about promoting equity and ensuring sustainability too, says Scott Jacobs of Emovis
  • UK Government funds cleaner, greener bus journeys
    July 26, 2016
    The UK Government has made US$39 million (£30 million) of funding available to bus operators and local authorities in England, enabling them to buy low emission buses and install chargepoints and other infrastructure. In total, the 13 successful bidders will be able to add 326 buses, including electric, hybrid, hydrogen and biomethane buses, to their fleets, and install more than US$9 million (£7 million) worth of infrastructure. Among the winners is Sheffield City Region, which has been awarded US$1.7 m
  • The bus future is electric, says UITP
    January 11, 2017
    More and more cities in Europe and around the world are turning to electric buses (or e-buses) in an effort to go green according to UITP’s new ZeEUS eBus Report. The report, published as part of the Zero Emission Urban Bus System project, reveals that 19 public transport operators and authorities, covering around 25 European cities, have a published e-bus strategy for 2020. By this date, there should be more than 2,500 electric buses operating in these cities, representing six per cent of their total fl
  • New survey shows technology revolutionising tolling
    September 14, 2016
    Advances in electronic tolling are transforming highway transportation by providing greater mobility, smoother traffic flow, and improved safety for drivers and their passengers, according to new survey data released by the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA). The new survey, Toll Technology Transforms Mobility for Customers, conducted during the third quarter of 2016, collected technology-related data from 36 tolling facilities in 18 states, representing all regions of the cou