Wrap: Whether it is roads without painted lane markers on Highway 63, or backed up traffic at the Missouri River bridge on Interstate 64, Missourians and others who travel through the state can see the roads are in need of maintenance.

Missourians had the opportunity to vote to approve new funding for road repairs and improvements, but voters defeated an increase in the state sales and use tax that would've raised around 5.4 billion dollars for different transportation projects around the state.

With the rejection of the sales tax increase, MoDOT and lawmakers agree it's time to go back to the drawing board. 

MoDOT director Dave Nichols says one of the main reasons coming up with a new funding formula is so difficult is because of the amount of state-maintained roads Missouri has.

The neighboring state with the next most state-maintained road mileage is Kentucky with nearly 28,000.

Nichols says the amount of roads MoDOT has to maintain creates a huge problem.

Voters soundly defeated the constitutional amendment proposal in August by a 59 to 41 margin.

Senate Transportation Committee vice-chairman John Lamping said Missourians sent a clear message with their votes.

Lamping did not seek reelection this year, but the chairman of the Transportation Committee did.

Sen. Mike Kehoe of Jefferson City said his goal is to give Missourians many options to fund roads.

Currently, MoDOT gets 50 percent of their state funding through a 17 cent per gallon fuel tax, 25 percent through sales taxes when a person buys a vehicle, and another 25 percent through registration fees on vehicles and driver's licenses.   

Nichols said Amendment 7 would've paid for an expansion of Interstate 70 across the state, but other projects were in the works as well. 

So where do lawmakers and MoDOT go from here?

One place they could go is a proposal by Lamping to divert part of Missourians existing sales and use taxes.

Lamping introduced the proposal during the last legislative session, but it went no further than committee.

Lamping says had the measure been on the ballot, it would've passed.

However, Kehoe says there is a big problem with Lamping's proposal.

Nichols agreed that another ballot measure isn't the answer.

Whatever future proposal comes from the legislature, Nichols says it is critical something happens soon.

Kehoe agreed something needs to happen soon, but he also says the political will to get the job done must be present.

St. Louis County Democratic Senator Scott Sifton did commend Republicans for pushing the sales tax increase last session.

MoDOT says Missouri's transportation budget is rapidly shrinking due to the loss of temporary funds from sources like the federal stimulus package. 

They also point out Missouri's gas tax is one of the lowest in the nation at 17.3 cents per gallon, which is 11 cents below the national average.

After the defeat of the sales tax amendment, no specific proposals have been put forward by lawmakers or MoDOT despite MoDOT warning it will be just a few years before they cannot maintain the current road system at the current level of funding.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Steven Anthony.