City of St. Joseph doubles street improvement program

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The City of St. Joseph is taking a new approach to street improvements that will help repair roads faster and cover more ground over the next five years. 

Recently, the St. Joseph City Council approved $3.46 million in Transit Sales Tax funding for street improvement projects. While the voter-approved Transit Sales Tax primarily supports the city’s public transit system, it can also be used to improve roads and bridges traveled by city buses. 

By combining Transit Sales Tax revenue with Use Tax funding, the city will be able to mill and overlay 62 lane miles of streets in 2026—doubling the amount of work completed through the annual program.

The project is being carried out by Herzog Contracting Corp and began in May. It's expected to continue through November. 

City officials plan to continue pairing Transit Sales Tax and Use Tax dollars for the next five years to maximize the impact of the street improvement program. 

According to Public Works Director Chance Gallagher, relying on Use Tax funding alone typically means streets receive milling and overlay repairs only once every 20 to 25 years.

With the additional Transit Sales Tax funding, the city hopes to cut the timeline in half, bringing repairs to the same streets every 10 to 15 years. 

“Working closely with finance and general services, the overlay program is getting a nice boost. More roads will be overlayed, and citizens will be able to see a difference faster,” Gallagher said. 

Residents can view the list of streets included in this year’s milling and overlay program on the city’s street maintenance web page.