St. Louis awarded additional funds from MoDOT

By Casey Nolen

KSDK -- Trying to compete with every state in the union, the Missouri Department of Transportation started working on its list of stimulus projects before the stimulus plan was even passed.

• READ: List of MoDOT projects

"We can get jobs out very quickly and we can put people to work," said MoDOT Director Pete Rahn.

On Tuesday, the transportation agency unveiled how it plans to spend the $788 million in transportation dollars headed to Missouri in federal stimulus money.

"There is this idea that there is a tidal wave of money coming from the stimulus," said Rahn. "The reality is, it's only 1.6 percent of our needs that have already been identified in the State of Missouri."

St. Louis County will receive $67 million, and St. Charles County will get $43 million. Two extension projects - Page Avenue and Highway 141 -- will get most of the money in the two counties.

There is more money for the city of St. Louis than originally expected -- $22.4 million, up from $5 million - mostly due to the addition of a plan to repair Tucker Boulevard near the Edward Jones Dome in downtown.

That's still not enough, according to Mayor Francis Slay.

In a statement, Mayor Slay said he is "glad someone at MoDOT watches TV and reads the paper" -- where he had voiced his disapproval of earlier plans -- but goes on to say it remains "highly unlikely the City of St. Louis or the St. Louis region will get what is fair" from the stimulus plan.

The mayor points out one of the requirements of the plan is that money be spent in economically depressed areas -- along with creating jobs beyond the projects and completing construction in three years.

"All of those are requirements," said Rahn. "61 percent of our program is being spent in economically depressed areas."

A group of St. Louis County mayors also oppose the plan.

"Most of the people in North and South St. Louis County and inside of (interstate) 270 are essentially forgotten," says Tim Fischesser with the St. Louis County Municipal League. "With the exception of two small projects for sidewalks they announced today, there's just no money being spent in the older parts of St. Louis County."

Tuesday night's announcement was open to the public. And some in the audience expressed concerns that more highway projects in the suburbs goes against the "green" goals of the administration and other parts of the stimulus plan.

Jefferson County will get money for widening Interstate 55 near routes M and Z.

MoDOT is also preparing for a second wave of stimulus money that could come from the redistribution of money from state's that do not finish projects in the time allowed under the stimulus plan rules.