President's Clinton's transportation plan gets a mixed review from U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson.

"It has some good features and some not so good features," the Cape Girardeau Republican said Thursday from Washington.

"I'm pleased there is an emphasis on safety, interstate maintenance and the National Highway System, which includes many of southern Missouri's projects."

But Emerson said she is troubled the president wants to use trust fund money to hide the true size of the federal deficit.

She said Clinton's proposal to use highway money for Amtrak and the Washington subway system is "a misguided use of precious resources."

U.S. Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., criticized Clinton's plan to use highway-trust fund money to reduce the deficit and fund Amtrak and other transit items.

Motorists pay into the trust fund in the form of gasoline taxes. That money, Bond said, should go to highway construction, maintenance and repair.

"The bottom line is the administration should not be diverting money that should be going to much-needed highway improvements to items like Amtrak that don't even help pay for themselves through the gas tax," said Bond.

Clinton's National Economic Crossroads Efficiency Act calls for a slight increase in funding for Missouri, Emerson said.

"I still want us to be closer to getting a dollar back for every dollar that Missouri taxpayers put in," she said.

Missouri receives 87 cents back on every gas-tax dollar. Clinton's plan would boost the return by a penny or two, Emerson said.

She will push for funding for six main highway and bridge projects for southern Missouri in the new federal highway bill.

Two of the projects are the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge project at Cape Girardeau, named in honor of her late husband, and the railroad/highway terminal at the Mississippi River port near Scott City.

She also wants funding to widen four of the region's highways to four lanes. The highways are Highway 60 from Sikeston to Willow Springs, Highway 67 from Fredericktown to the Arkansas border, Highway 412 from Kennett to Hayti and Highway 63 from Rolla to the Arkansas border.