(LISTEN): Powerful Missouri congressman says the U.S. air traffic control system is antiquated

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The dean of Missouri’s congressional delegation says glitches at the Newark Airport show that the system in the United States is antiquated.

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U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Tarkio), who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is the dean of Missouri’s congressional delegation (2024 file photo courtesy of Chairman Graves’ office)

U-S House Transportation Committee chairman Sam Graves (R-Tarkio) tells 939 the Eagle that his committee is addressing it:

“We’re working to completely overhauling the air traffic control system. In fact in my committee we’ve already passed out $12.5 billion authorized that for updating of the air traffic control system. And that’s everything from new telecommunications, new radars, TRACONs, you name it. We’re going to make this a state-of-the-art system,” Congressman Graves.

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U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Tarkio) stands near the Gold Star monument at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City. Mr. Graves is the dean of Missouri’s congressional delegation (May 12, 2025 photo from 939 the Eagle’s Brian Hauswirth)

TRACON is an acronym for Terminal Radar Approach Control. National news reports say Newark has had three significant tech outages since late April.

Meantime, Missouri’s governor and powerful Chairman Graves met this week in Jefferson City to discuss the I-70 rebuilding and expansion project across Missouri. But they also discussed rural roads and transportation in general.  Chairman Graves, the dean of Missouri’s congressional delegation, tells 939 the Eagle that rural roads are critical. He’s from rural northwest Missouri’s Tarkio:

“Obviously all transportation dollars and anytime we can get federal dollars in on some of our federal highway projects, that displaces dollars that can be used in other parts of the state. Particularly rural areas, which I’m interested in. So we talked about all of that, of course,” Congressman Graves says.

Many of you daily experience the large amount of I-70 construction between Columbia and Kingdom City. It’s all part of a $2.8-billion project to reconstruct and expand I70 to six lanes from Blue Springs to Wentzville. Most of those are state dollars.

Congressman Graves is in his 13th term on Capitol Hill.