Missouri Department of Transportation

The independent report from the Missouri Department of Transportation lays out safety improvements to the state’s three passenger rail lines. They come a little more than one year after a train-truck crash killed four people outside Kansas City.

Included in the budget passed by lawmakers this session and signed by Gov. Mike Parson in June was around $2.8 billion to expand I-70 to three lanes in each direction. On Wednesday, commissioners approved the first steps of acquiring that money.

The drafted timeline for I-70 construction would start in August, on the stretch of highway between Columbia and Kingdom City moving east-bound, and complete in 2030. Missouri's latest budget allocated $2.8 billion to the project, the largest on the interstate since it opened.

The court ruled that the Missouri Conservation Commission — not lawmakers — has the power to spend appropriated funds. The decision could influence a pending Cole County case over how much Department of Transportation employees get paid.

When a woman and her unborn son were killed in the course of her Missouri Department of Transportation job, her family sued for wrongful death — but the department argued they're shielded from liability becauseher fetus counts as an employee.

It's practically a rite of spring for Kansas City drivers: swerving to avoid perilous potholes that pockmark the pavement. This year, the city is spending more than ever to resurface streets after the winter weather, with the hopes of minimizing damage to drivers. But will it be enough?

The resolution gives the state legislature appropriations power over the state road fund, which is now under the control of the Transportation Department. Because it’s a proposed constitutional amendment, it must be approved by voters to go into effect.

It's currently illegal in Missouri for drivers under 21 to send a text message from a hand-held device while driving. The Missouri Senate committee approved a bill expanding that to all drivers, and adds that anyone under 18 would be banned from using any electronic communication device at all while driving, even if the use is hands-free.

The Kansas City Police Department and Missouri Department of Transportation are encouraging truck drivers to take an active role in reporting human trafficking. The departments are part of a week-long collaborative effort to educate and raise awareness about trafficking.

Litter cleanup has stalled since the onset of the pandemic, and citizens upset about the state of the metro’s roadways have taken matters into their own hands. According to government officials, volunteers will need to keep their trash bags handy for the foreseeable future.

Missouri Sen. Bill Eigel, who is considering running for governor in 2024, said the state's $6 billion cash balance should go to ‘big infrastructure projects.’ No one is sure how much it would cost to widen I-70.

The budget includes raising the minimum pay for teachers, fully funding the state’s Medicaid program, including its expansion population, and income tax credits, as well as close to $3 billion in federal funding for projects across the state.