Lake Area State Rep Jeff Vernetti Goes To Governor Kehoe To Get Support For 54/5 Intersection

State Representative Jeff Vernetti is hoping to use a little power of persuasion to get $4 million worth of funding released for work to relieve heavy congestion from the highway-5 and 54 intersection toward the east city limits of Camdenton.

Vernetti says, at the current time, funding earmarked for the project sits in a restricted budget with Governor Mike Kehoe able to release the purse-strings so the work can be done but time is now becoming a factor for that to happen.

“Basically, that’s not vetoing the the funding. It’s doing what it sounds like it’s doing. He can at any point allow that funding to move forward. But the issue is that if we get to the end of the fiscal year and those funds aren’t released, then they just do in effect, get vetoed. They die, they don’t go back in.”

The lake area is not the only area affected with more than $200 million worth of projects statewide sitting in the restricted funding.

If he hasn’t already, Vernetti is expected to meet with the Governor sometime today to plead the case for that funding to be released for the project.