The Chair of The House Transportation Committee Says Toll Roads Might Not Be The Best Option to Rebuild Highways
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The Chair of The House Transportation Committee Says Toll Roads Might Not Be The Best Option to Rebuild Highways

Date: November 15, 2011
By: Mengti Xu
State Capitol Bureau

Intro: 
After the head of the Missouri Department of Transportation proposed to make I-70 a toll road, the chair of the House Transportation Committee says a sales tax increase could be another alternative.
RunTime:  0:39
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: Chairman of the House Transportation Committee Charlie Denison says he supports highway funding, but toll roads are not the best option.

Actuality:  DENISON3.WAV
Run Time:  00:08
Description: "All good coming in and out of the state of Missouri will go up if we use toll roads. So it is a good source of funding? Not necessarily."

However, Denison says it is a good way of opening discussion toward financing highways.

Denison says another possible option for funding might come out of a sales tax increase.

Actuality:  DENISON5.WAV
Run Time:  00:07
Description: "Not gasoline tax, because we need to probably bring that down a little bit, but turn around and do a sales tax."

Denison says it might take several years to make that happen.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Mengti Xu.  

Intro: 
After the head of the Missouri Department of Transportation plans to make I-70 a toll road to finance its reconstruction, a House committee says I-70 is not the only highway that needs to rebuild.
RunTime:  0:42
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: After the head of the Missouri Department of Transportation proposed to make I-70 a toll road, Chairman of the House Transportation Committee Charlie Denison says reconstruction should not be limited to I-70.

Actuality:  DENISON4.WAV
Run Time:  00:13
Description: "We have a dire need on 70, but we get just as great a need on 44 in my opinion. And we get just as great a need for some of our farm-to-market roads that are not getting anything at this particular time."

Denison says now the state just maintains the highways, but they need to find a new source of revenue to build new highways.

However, Denison says he doesn't think toll roads would be the best option and voters would probably vote against it.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Mengti Xu.