No idea what this is about but this was apparently a big announcement at the MoDOT Commission meeting today

http://www.modot.org/road2tomorrow/

Missouri has always been at the vanguard of America's transportation system. From the earliest days of the nation’s westward expansion to the first length of the nation's interstate highway network, the Show-Me State has led the way.
And now it is time to lead again.

We are just now getting a glimpse of the new technologies that could serve as the basis for future highways. Innovations like GPS systems, autonomous vehicles, alternative fuels, new construction materials and computer-enhanced "smart" roads are changing the way we travel. We must build on this rising tide of new technology.

It is time to reach out to the world and gather the ingenuity, innovation and imagination it will take to build the transportation system of the future.

With that ideal in mind, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has announced a new initiative – “Road to Tomorrow,” to make Interstate 70 across the midsection of our state available to the nation and the world as the laboratory to construct the next generation of highways.

The MHTC has issued a call for private industry, entrepreneurs and innovators to bring their products and ideas to the birthplace of the interstate highway and collaborate with MoDOT to build the first section of the highway of the future. It’s only appropriate that the re-birth of the interstate highway begin at its birthplace.

At a time when the nation and Missouri wrestle with how to fund its future transportation needs, this effort must be focused not only on new technologies but new means of funding transportation investment.

We invite industry, institutions and individuals to reach out with their ideas. The form on the right-hand side of this page is the first step in the journey.

Start building the “Road to Tomorrow.” Fill in the blanks.

^Political cover for a toll road? (which I'm totally in favor of)

^ Yeah, a toll road would be ideal - especially if you could couch its introduction in the form of some sort of "innovation initiative" or similar to make it more palatable.

^ Maybe, but I imagine that facade would fade away pretty quickly.

MoDOT still trying to get attention and everyone else gladly ignores. I do like the mix of PD comments these days as they go from the pragmatic to the practical to quite a few now admitting ownership, you build it you own it instead of the typical its all the govt and no new taxes

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metr ... e1350.html

On the common sense idea
- Raise the gas tax, even it is 2 cents to keep the match
- Tolls baby tolls, it is interesting to note that a few people are gladly mentioning the likes of Kansas, OKlahoma
- reduce the lane miles, state subsidizing all the extra miles on cheap gas tax is no longer feasible.
- not all rural roads need to be 4 lane super highways and time to introduce road diet for some state highways within cities.

On the nonsensical
- the sky is falling, the sky is falling because I can't make a meaningful comment
- get rid of MoDOT and everything will be fine, road aren't the problem
- Mo spends more on bike path, I know it for a fact, if only we run over all the bikers we would be fine
- I should get a pay raise every year but hell needs to freeze over to raise a gas tax that hasn't seen a raise in twenty years and is one of the lowest in country. By the way, need to go take a cig break with my cheaper cig taxes

^ will you be our official STLToday comment paraphraser? much better than reading the actual comments. didn't make me want to kill myself.

roger wyoming II wrote:Is the Road to Tomorrow what one takes to get From Here to Eternity?

Well I've been led to believe that what you're referring to would be rather, the Information Superhighway. With 70 in St. Chuck celebrated as the birthplace of the interstate by that sign, and the 60th birthday of said interstate only a little more than a year away, it seems only fitting that we here in St. Louis should be awarded a complete replacement of 70 with Elon Musk's hyperloop, sending us zooming off into "the future," leading the way for untold generations of Huxley's, et al,., clones.

KC Star - Roadways featuring solar panels, smart highways are among MoDOT pilot projects

A year after it kicked off its Road to Tomorrow initiative in Kansas City, the Missouri Department of Transportation on Wednesday unveiled several pilot projects to address future transportation and funding.

They include smart highways, platooning truck traffic and creating energy with solar panels in the roadway. Some of the projects could turn highways into moneymakers for the state.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/ar ... 84377.html