Establishes the "Commission on Interstate 70 Safety and Beautification"

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Adrian Plank

Creates a Commission to study and recommend ways to improve safety and the visual, scenic, and economic appeal of Missouri’s I-70 corridor.

Referred: Emerging Issues(H)

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Summary of Bill: HCR 30 (Missouri, 2026)

Purpose and intent

Establishes a Commission on Interstate 70 Safety and Beautification.

Aims to improve safety and enhance the visual, scenic, cultural, historical, and economic appeal of the I-70 corridor through Missouri during its rebuild and ongoing maintenance.

Framed as a transportation, economic development, and quality-of-life initiative.

Key provisions and changes

Creation of a Commission:

Composition includes:
The chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Members from the Missouri Municipal League.
Members from the Missouri Association of Counties.
All members of the Scenic Byways Advisory Committee (as described in 7 CSR 10-12.030(3)).

Purpose and scope of the Commission:

Study, discuss, and recommend to the Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and the General Assembly strategies to enhance:
Safety along the I-70 corridor.
Visual and scenic characteristics of I-70 through Missouri.
Focus areas include:
Reasonable landscaping.
Sign control.
Highway, bridge, and lighting design standards.

Administrative actions:

Requires the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House to prepare a properly inscribed copy of the resolution for the MoDOT director.
Sends the resolution to the Governor for approval or rejection per constitutional process.

Who or what would be affected

Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) would receive recommendations and guidance from the Commission.

Stakeholders in roadside commerce, tourism, outdoor advertising, historical/cultural conservation, and municipal/counties governance are structurally represented on the Commission.

Potential implications for:

Outdoor advertising visibility and sign regulation.
Landscaping and vegetation decisions along I-70.
Highway, bridge, and lighting design standards specific to the I-70 corridor.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Status: Introduced and referred to Emerging Issues (H) as of May 15, 2026.

History:

Read Second Time in the House on January 13, 2026.
Introduced and Read First Time on January 12, 2026.

Next steps:

If approved, the Governor would need to sign the resolution.
The Commission would be formed and begin its study and recommendations, pending the Department of Transportation and General Assembly consideration.

Practical considerations

The bill does not itself mandate specific changes but creates a formal cross-sector advisory body to guide safety, aesthetics, and scenic quality on I-70.

It emphasizes balancing safety with preserving Missouri’s natural beauty and supporting tourism and economic development.

Given its focus on landscaping, sign control, and design standards, the Commission’s recommendations could influence landscaping requirements, billboard regulation, and the aesthetic treatment of highways, bridges, and lighting along I-70.