Hegeman gives hope to rural motorists

By NewsPress Now

Red vs. blue battle lines exist in the Missouri legislature, but they aren’t the sole source of friction in Jefferson City.

Sometimes the real conflict is between rural and urban, with suburban areas and mid-sized cities like St. Joseph playing an important role in determining the outcome.

For example, the urban-rural split becomes apparent in the debate over school choice. This notion of empowerment for individual parents holds plenty of appeal for conservative lawmakers, but not at the expense of degrading support for public school districts that often serve as the anchor of small towns that are struggling to survive.

Another potential flashpoint is in the scrum for money, especially funding for critical transportation infrastructure. Lawmakers in the bigger cities could easily point to their sizable population base as justification for absorbing a greater portion of dollars earmarked for highways, roads and bridges.

These big-city lawmakers probably wouldn’t receive much pushback until their constituents started to think, “Now why is it taking so long for food, fuel and other supplies to get to our markets?”

It turns out, funding for rural roads is more than a bone to throw for the howling lawmaker from out in the sticks. It’s an essential element of economic growth and food security, one that extends from rural areas into large cities.

This is why years ago Missouri made the wise choice of taking major highway funding discretion out of the hands of lawmakers and putting it into the lap of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.

This six-member board guides the Missouri Department of Transportation on the right investment for maintaining and improving the state’s network of roads, bridges and intermodal facilities. Significantly, the board has authority over the gasoline tax, currently at 24 cents a gallon, to pay for highway needs in the state.

As any motorist knows all too well, this money doesn’t fix every problem. Those who drive the roads in Northwest Missouri still feel a sense of frustration at the potholes, crumbling shoulders and other visible signs of poor upkeep.

No doubt, Dan Hegeman has felt that same way at times. Unlike the rest of us, this former state senator from Andrew County is in a position to do more than complain.

Hegeman’s appointment to the Transportation Commission comes at a time when the panel will consider important questions regarding investment in Highway 36, the future of the Interstate 229 bridge in St. Joseph and continued improvements to farm-to-market roads.

Along with commission chairman Terry Ecker, who is from Nodaway County, Hegeman helps bring a rural perspective to this powerful statewide board.

It won’t keep you from squeezing the life out of the steering wheel at times, but this strong Northwest Missouri presence should give rural citizens confidence that they won’t be ignored in Jefferson City.