Patrick McKenna, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), provided thought-provoking information recently.He actually gave a seminar on Missouri’s transportation problems, emphasizing funding shortfalls for needed improvements. He also realizes MoDOT must do a better job in reaching people to tell their story — education is a must. He realizes the story of roads and bridges, and funding solutions, in Missouri are complicated. It also is political, especially on means to generate more revenue, and getting the Legislature to agree to a plan.There is no easy solution as to funding. Coming up with a funding solution is difficult. To convince the people that a new revenue source, involving some kind of tax hike, is difficult.One of the points that Mc-Kenna stressed is that Missouri has the seventh largest road and bridge system in the country compared to other states but is 47th in funding. With that low amount of spending it doesn’t take long to fall behind in new construction and maintenance. Those statistics raise the question of why has Missouri fallen so far behind other states in providing the revenue to support such a large system of roads and bridges? Whose fault is it? Missouri is a low tax state and it shows in our roads and bridges.It is going to take a massive education program to tell the story to Missourians about the plight of our roads and bridges and the need for additional funding. A helping hand is needed. Private organizations interested in transportation could help by getting out information about the needs. Also, formation of committees in communities to promote transportation programs, such as Washington has, helps. One of the best things MoDOT did was assign area engineers to work with counties. MoDOT receives about $2.1 billion yearly in revenue, but only $14 million comes from general revenue. The majority of the money comes from user fees, such as motor fuel taxes, state and federal. Those taxes account for 65 percent of MoDOT’s revenue. We’ve heard from members of the General Assembly and from citizens that MoDOT needs to cut costs. It has cut expenses by reducing the number of its employees and consolidation of facilities at a savings of $100 million a year since 2010. The savings are being put into road construction.McKenna favors a user fees based system of funding. That makes sense. Let’s face it, some users of our highways and bridges don’t pay their fair share.MoDOT faces major challenges. We are slowly going backward in our road and bridge system.