A few hundred transportation professionals and industry stakeholders are in Columbia today and tomorrow for the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s transportation future summit.
The two-day conference begins this afternoon at the Holiday Inn Executive Center. Chamber president Dan Mehan will welcome the audience at 1:30, and powerful U.S. House Transportation Committee chairman Rep. Sam Graves (R-Tarkio) will then speak via video. He’s expected to discuss federal funding for transportation and Missouri’s $2.8 billion plan to rebuild and expand I-70 to six lanes across the state, from Wentzville to Blue Springs.
Six breakout sessions are also planned for this afternoon, including one on the future of railroad in Missouri.
Another one involves the new terminals at Columbia Regional Airport (COU) and at Kansas City International Airport (KCI). COU airport manager Mike Parks will be addressing several hundred transportation professionals from across the state about Columbia Regional’s $23-milion new terminal, which is 52,000 square feet. Columbia voters approved a 2016 hotel tax, which is the new terminal’s main funding source.
There will also be a breakout session today about self-driving cars.
