“Economic development projects are not driven primarily by incentives,” he said.

The Hyperloop, meanwhile, is a technology that purports to use electric propulsion to move travelers and freight in pods through a low-pressure tube. Magnetic levitation is used to lift the pod above the track, and the pods glide at airline speeds because of low aerodynamic drag in the tube.

A trip in the tube between St. Louis and Kansas City, including a stop in Columbia, would take an estimated 25 minutes, according to its supporters.

Last month, electric car pioneer Elon Musk, said the price of a seat would be comparable to an economy class airfare ticket.

The Missouri Department of Transportation and the University of Missouri system are teaming up with the St. Louis Regional Chamber, KC Tech Council and Columbia-based Missouri Innovative Center to raise money for a feasibility study estimated to cost about $1.5 million.

The actual cost of constructing such a system along the Interstate 70 corridor would likely be in the tens of billions of dollars. It remains unclear how exactly such a project would be built along the interstate, which itself is in need of billions of dollars in upgrades.