The Governor of Missouri Wants to Spend $859 Million on Highway Expansion

 

The state of Missouri has a $6 billion budget surplus due to an increase in tax revenue and unspent federal aid. Governor Parson wants to use $859 million of it to expand I-70, the major transport route which connects Kansas City and St. Louis. This expansion would bulldoze through key areas in downtown St. Louis, areas west of downtown, and even the suburban areas of Columbia (which sits right near the middle of the interstate). Lots of people, even those unfamiliar with the Strong Towns perspective, think this expenditure proposal is a bad idea.

Today, join host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn on the Upzoned podcast as they discuss this story and potential avenues for better spending.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

 
 
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Abby Newsham is the cohost of the Upzoned podcast. Abby is an urban design and planning consultant at Multistudio in Kansas City, Missouri. In her own community, she works to advance bottom-up strategies that enhance both private development and the public realm, and facilitates the ad-hoc Kansas City chapter of the Incremental Development Alliance. When she’s not geeking out over cities, Abby is an avid urban mountain biker (because: potholes), audiobook and podcast junkie, amateur rock climber, and guitarist. You can connect with Abby on Twitter at @abbykatkc.

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Charles Marohn
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Charles Marohn (known as “Chuck” to friends and colleagues) is the founder and president of Strong Towns and the bestselling author of “Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis.” With decades of experience as a land use planner and civil engineer, Marohn is on a mission to help cities and towns become stronger and more prosperous. He spreads the Strong Towns message through in-person presentations, the Strong Towns Podcast, and his books and articles. In recognition of his efforts and impact, Planetizen named him one of the 15 Most Influential Urbanists of all time in 2017 and 2023.

 
Podcast, Top StoryStrong Townspodcast, infrastructure, infrastructure spending, highways, highway spending, missouri, upzoned, end highway expansion