MoDot: Tolls could pay for needed I-70 repairs

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A report from the Missouri Department of Transportation says tolls could pay for much-needed repairs to Interstate 70.

The report released Wednesday says the state doesn’t have the money needed to widen and fix the interstate. The project would cost at least $2 billion.

Earlier this month, Gov. Jay Nixon revived the possibility of using tolls to makeover the heavily traveled road.

Voters in August defeated a proposed three-quarter-cent sales tax that would have helped finance a $1.5 billion rebuilding of I-70.

The transportation department report estimated that drivers would need to pay $20-$40 for a trip across the state to fully fund a rebuilding. Truck drivers would pay $40-90.

The report also raises the possibility of a public-private partnership to fix the roadway, which also likely would include tolls.

This story was originally published December 31, 2014 at 12:20 PM with the headline "MoDot: Tolls could pay for needed I-70 repairs."