Fixing Critical Infrastructure

Straight Talk with Sam

The Buck O'Neil Bridge is a vital link connecting the Northland to downtown Kansas City. However, the story of its replacement and the ribbon-cutting on the new bridge is good news for folks all across North Missouri. This bridge connects Northlanders and Missourians in northwest Missouri to doctors, hospitals, workplaces, markets, among many other places.

You see, the old bridge was built in 1956. By 2018, it was reaching the end of its design life and becoming increasingly expensive to maintain. Instead of continuing to throw good money after bad, it was time for a new bridge. To make that happen, I stepped up and worked with President Trump and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to secure a $25 million BUILD grant to move the project forward.

Now, if you don't live in this area, you might think, "All this is great, but it doesn't affect me. I don't drive across that bridge." Here's where things get interesting. Instead of stopping there, I worked to secure another $81 million INFRA grant for the Rocheport Bridge on Interstate 70. These grants helped unlock state funds for the Focus on Bridges program to replace another 250 bridges all over the state.

In addition, I secured a $20.7 million grant for the Fixing Access to Rural Missouri (FARM) bridge program to replace several one-lane bridges in North Missouri supported by timber piles. That federal investment also helped the General Assembly fix nearly 5,550 lane miles of rural roads and lettered routes over the last three years.

All that to say, even if you don't live in the Northland, this project still matters. It helped set off a chain reaction of smart infrastructure investments now paying dividends in Kansas City, the Northland, and all across North Missouri.

I've always believed infrastructure is one of the few things the government should do and should do well. We've made a lot of progress in Missouri recently in getting things right, but there's plenty of work left to do. As your representative, I will keep pushing for smart investments in our infrastructure and fighting to ensure we get our fair share of those investments in North Missouri.

Sincerely,

Sam Graves