Missouri Department of Transportation Reacts to Gas Prices
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Missouri Department of Transportation Reacts to Gas Prices

Date: March 11, 2008
By: Courtney Cox
State Capitol Bureau

Intro: Rising gas prices in Missouri are causing the Department of Transportation to make some tough calls in order to keep their fleet fueled. Courtney Cox has more from the state capitol. RunTime:0:52
OutCue: SOC No matter what the price, the Missouri Department of Transportation has been using ten million gallons of gas per year. While gas prices continue to fluctuate in Missouri, revenue for the Transportation Department  has remained the same.
    Jeff Briggs is the spokesman for Mo DOT.

Actuality:  BRIGGS1.WAV

Run Time: 00:06
Description: "We have four thousand vehicles a year. Each penny increase costs us one hundred thousand dollars a year to keep them running."

 Those expenses do not include the higher price of contracted work due to the rising gas toll. Briggs is concerned Mo DOT will have to cut back to compensate.
Actuality:  BRIGGS2.WAV
Run Time: 00:09
Description: "Our budget is going to drop again and we're going to be back into just doing what we can to take care of what's out there. We're going to have to stop building any new roads."


Currently, Mo DOT gets seventeen cents from every gallon of gas sold in Missouri, regardless of price.    From the state capitol, I'm Courtney Cox.
Intro: Expenses for the Missouri Department of Transportation are rising with gas prices while revenue remains unchanged. Courtney Cox has more from the state capitol. RunTime:0:51
OutCue: SOC
 
Although Missourians are seeing the impact of rising gas prices on their wallets, they may soon be seeing them on the roads.
 
Each penny increase in gas tolls costs the Missouri Department of Transportation one hundred thousand dollars a year.
 
While all current road projects are still in progress, Mo DOT's revenue is not rising to match the rising costs.
 
Jeff Briggs is the spokesman for Mo DOT.
 
Actuality:  BRIGGS3.WAV
Run Time: 00:18

Description: "While all of our expenses are going up we have got to pay for more expensive gas. Our revenue from that gas is not increasing, it's still at seventeen cents a gallon. As long as we are funded this way and our revenue does not go up, we tend to get further and further behind in matching our expenses to the revenue we have."


If the gap between expenses and revenue continues to grow, Briggs says the department will have to cease new road projects.

From the state capitol, I'm Courtney Cox.