MISSOURI — The Missouri Department of Transportation has investigated ways to improve the statewide freight network, and now it’s acting on those findings. The General Assembly and Gov. Mike Parson approved $3.25 million for the FY 2023 Freight Enhancement Program, the most in the program’s 10-year history.

“The additional funding enables us to begin working on the recommendations of the State Freight and Rail Plan and Gov. Parson’s Supply Chain Task Force’s Final Report,” said MoDOT Administrator of Freight and Waterways Cheryl Ball.  “The goal is to make a better, more resilient freight system in Missouri.”

MoDOT awarded all $3.25 million to more than half of the applicants after prioritizing them by how well they aligned with the goals outlined in the State Freight and Rail Plan (SFRP) and the Supply Chain Task Force’s Final Report. All projects required at least a 20% local match, and the money cannot be used for roadway projects.

The list of funded projects that best aligned with outlined goals and objectives includes infrastructure supporting container on barge, short line rail improvements and a transload facility in the middle of the state, which will establish a facility to cross-load goods from truck to rail and vice-versa.

Also funded is equipment establishing grain loading onto barges at the Port of Kansas City, which will allow local agriculture producers to send their products more easily to worldwide markets. A list of the funded projects is available at www.modot.org/freight-general-information.

These projects are a small first step toward addressing the more than $500 million in unfunded needs on the modal freight system identified in the SFRP, which can be viewed at www.modot.org/2022-state-freight-and-rail-plan-documents.