After thanking members of the chamber for their support of the April 5 ballot issue, Craig indicated another proposal could appear before voters in November.

Craig did not indicate what revisions to the original Proposition 36 are under consideration by the U.S. Highway 36-Interstate 72 Corridor Transportation Corporation.

"Prior to the (April 5) election, we did not have a Plan B," said Craig. "We are now working on Plan B."

According to Craig, details of the revised proposal could be ready for release within the next two or three weeks.

The original Proposition 36 asked voters in Marion, Ralls, Monroe, Shelby and Macon counties to approve the implementation of a half-cent sales tax for 15 years, authority to create a transportation development district and overall approval of the project, which would see U.S. 36 expanded to four lanes from just west of Hannibal to Macon.

In return, the Missouri Department of Transportation would have matched the $50 million generated locally by the sales tax, with $86 million. In addition, MoDOT promised to complete the highway by Dec. 31, 2009, or reduce the local share by $10 million.

MoDOT's proposal to pick up more than half the project's cost was a result of Amendment 3's passage in Missouri last November, which ceases the diversion of highway funds to other departments. The $1.3 billion in bond financing generated by Amendment 3's passage will be gone in November. It is scheduled to be divided up among other priority projects throughout Missouri at the May meeting of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.

Despite receiving strong support in the five-county area, Proposition 36 went down to defeat when it was rejected by voters in Ralls County.