“Common sense” and “road construction” aren’t words you commonly hear in the same sentence, but the Missouri DOT claims their upcoming highway plan takes care of both.

Department officials told the State Highway Commission on Sunday, June 12, that they could save the state close to $400 million over the next five years in road construction using a design strategy called “Practical Design,” the Kansas-City-based Web site infozine.com reported.

Under the plan, MoDOT would design and use a very specific plan – rather than general guidelines that could cost more – for each section of road or bridge they build. In other words, they’ll be buying store-brand tuti fruities instead of Fruit Loops.

“It’s a lot like when you go to buy a car,” said MoDOT Director Pete Rahn. “You might like to have leather seats, but cloth will do the job at a lower price. You can then spend the money you saved on something else.”

However, MoDOT Chief Engineer Kevin Keith told the news Web site missourinet.com that the less expensive design won’t compromise safety, and that the millions of dollars in savings is equivalent to a 3-cent-per-gallon fuel tax.

Just days before the announcement, the State Highway Commission approved the selling of the first bonds to help finance upcoming road projects in the state. Up to $400 million in bonds was authorized, which will primarily be used to improve the 2,200 most traveled miles of the state’s 32,000 miles of roads, The Kansas City Star reported.

The savings could be important to Missouri’s troubled transportation system. A recent study by The Road Information Program, or TRIP – which was based on data from the Federal Highway Administration – ranked Kansas City as having the worst road conditions of any urban area in the country. Twenty-six percent of its roads were listed in the study as being in poor condition.