Saint Louis business leaders came before the Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday in support of a new toll bridge over the Mississippi River.
Hillari Duthoo (Doo-thoh) has more from the Capitol.
Under the toll bridge proposal, private money will be used to build a fourth bridge in Saint Louis off of I-70.
Supporters of this public-private partnership say that both civilian and commercial motorists will end up with more room on the roads.
Michael Decola, President of the Mississippi Line Company, says that for freight companies, reducing congestion is cheaper than sitting in traffic.
"As an interstate connector if we can not reduce the congestion that exists today and will only grow worse commercial truckers will choose to go North or South of the State and bypass Missouri completely when traversing the country."
MODOT Chief Engineer, Kevin Keith, says that private funding is the only way a project of this magnitude can be funded.
From the Jefferson City, I'm Hillari Duthoo.