releases: https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/highway-96-bridge-project-proceeding-despite-state-budget-concerns-
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/highway-96-bridge-project-proceeding-despite-state-budget-concerns- | Highway 96 bridge project proceeding despite state budget concerns | 2016-10-26 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Highway 96 bridge project proceeding despite state budget concerns Wednesday, October 26, 2016 By: Koby Levin CARTHAGE, Mo. — The City Council approved an agreement Tuesday night laying out plans for the replacement of the Highway 96 bridge in Carthage. The Missouri Department of Transportation projects that the work will cost $3.6 million, paid for out of state’s highway improvement program. “It’s a huge deal for Carthage,” council member Dan Rife said of the construction. “Not only for general traffic flow, but because that’s part of Route 66. You get all of the travelers wanting to drive that road, and detours make that less enjoyable for them. We’re anxious to get it done as quick as we can.” Contractors could break ground on the project as early as March, according to Sean Matlock, transportation manager for MoDOT’s Southwest District. MoDOT will cover the cost of decorative lighting on the new bridge, according to the agreement between the council and MoDOT’s governing body. Tom Short, Carthage city administrator, said at the council meeting that MoDOT crews will attempt to save the decorative balusters that are the current bridge’s most distinctive feature. If they can be saved, the city will could sell them at auction. The Highway 96 bridge over the railroad tracks northeast of downtown was closed to the public last month after a routine inspection found that it was deteriorating faster than engineers had expected. MoDOT was already planning to replace the bridge in 2017. With conditions rated at 3 out of 10, the Highway 96 and Spring River spans are in worse shape than other bridges in Jasper County, according to a 2015 report from MoDOT. But a number of bridges in the area don’t lag far behind. Eight structures in Jasper County received scores of 4, meaning MoDOT considers them to be in “critical condition.” Though the Center Creek bridge on Interstate 44 at Sarcoxie is the only interstate bridge among the eight, but others see significant traffic. The KCS Railroad Bridge in Joplin sees an average of 27,000 cars every day, according to the report. “We’re going to do our best to get (critical condition bridges) replaced,” Matlock said. “Statewide, we’re replacing about 100 bridges every year that are in that condition 3 status, but we have about 100 more come on each year too. It’s a perpetual problem, and with our current funding situation we can’t seem to get ahead of that issue.” A MoDOT report on its bridge and highway construction plans through 2021 notes that more than two-thirds of the department’s budget comes from fuel taxes, which have not been raised at the state or federal level since the 1990s. The project is part of $12 million in infrastructure funding that has been redirected to Jasper County after the passage of last year’s federal transportation bill, according to Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., a supporter of the bill. It included a provision that allowed states to repurpose earmarks — funds directed to a particular project — that had gone unused, McCaskill said. “When lawmakers are able to steer pork-barrel spending to their pet projects, sorely needed infrastructure in our communities is often ignored in favor of those projects,” she said in the statement. “I’m thrilled we’ve been able to change this, so these leftover earmark funds can make a real difference to our communities like Jasper County that need and deserve it.” Other business The Carthage City Council approved an ordinance that matches the city’s legal definition of recreational off-highway vehicles to the wording used in state law. With the passage of the ordinance, navigating the streets of Carthage on all-terrain vehicles and covered off-road vehicles is forbidden under both city and state law. Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |