JEFFERSON CITY • The architect of a plan to improve roads and bridges in Missouri wants voters to say “yes” to a boost in the gasoline tax.

State Sen. Doug Libla won preliminary approval in the Senate for a revamped plan to hold a statewide referendum in November on whether to raise the state’s 17-cent-per-gallon motor fuel tax by 5.9 cents.

That’s a significant switch from an earlier proposal he floated, in which he wanted the Legislature to impose increases of 1.5 cents for most motorists and 3.5 cents for diesel users as a way to generate millions of dollars for road and bridge improvements.

Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, said the new plan was a compromise designed to help pave the way for $165 million in new revenue for state highways and bridges. Local governments also would reap some of the added revenue.

“Let’s see if Missourians would really like to start working on our roads and bridges,” Libla told members of the Senate during a debate Wednesday.

The plan would push Missouri’s state motor fuel tax to 22.9 cents per gallon, which is higher than the 20.88-cent national average, according to the American Petroleum Institute.