ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – The St. Charles County Executive says the new highway funds the governor is expected to sign into law could be a game changer for the entire region.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson proposed a major Interstate 70 improvement project. The legislature passed it with the amount of around $859 million. Ehlman said it will make a huge difference in the county.
“I think they’re going to be tremendously important not just for St. Charles but for the entire region,” he said. “That’s why I’m a little bit frustrated we’re doing the long-range transportation plan down at East-West Gateway, in fact, we’re going to be voting that on Wednesday, and there’s nothing in it about I-70 improvements that the legislature has now approved and anticipating that the governor is going to sign any day.”
Ehlmann also said he just wants to ensure that everyone is safe.
“If you’ve been on St. Charles late in the morning or early in the afternoon, you understand it’s a big problem for us, but it’s an even bigger problem for the state,” he said. “There’s a lot of commerce going back and forth between St. Louis and Kansas City, and a two-lane highway just can’t handle it anymore.”
He said the East-West Gateway Council will have to decide which way to go.
The deadline for the governor to sign the legislation is July 1.