If you have been traveling through Missouri, you might have been slowed due to narrow roads, and increasing traffic. All that will be addressed by this newly proposed construction. 

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has launched a monumental $2.8 billion project to expand Interstate 70, one of the state’s most vital transportation corridors. This initiative aims to widen the interstate to three lanes in each direction across the state, from Kansas City to St. Louis, addressing the growing traffic demands and improving safety along the route.

Construction crews began work in early July of this year, focusing first on a 20-mile section of I-70 between Columbia and Kingdom City. This initial phase stretches from Route J at Millersburg to Route M at Hatton, including the addition of a third lane in both directions. The work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027, with the entire project anticipated to be finished by 2030.

Jeff Gander, MoDOT's Improve I-70 central project director, explained the phased approach to construction: “What we have committed to for this project is to keep two lanes of I-70 flowing at all peak times, which means during the day. There’s a good possibility that they will have a lane closed at night, both eastbound and westbound at the same time.”

To minimize disruptions, crews are working overnight, beginning with the westbound lane, which will be closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly. The focus initially is on laying new asphalt to strengthen the highway shoulders, a critical step before re-striping the road and setting up barrier walls along the median. Once this is complete, work will shift to the eastbound lane, with similar overnight closures expected.

The project includes upgrades to key intersections, notably those connecting U.S. 63 and I-70 in Columbia and U.S. 54 and I-70 in Kingdom City. MoDOT plans to begin work on the U.S. 63-Interstate 70 connector this summer, while construction on U.S. 54 is expected to start in 2025.

The St. Charles-based contractor Millstone Weber has been awarded the contract for this first section of the project, valued at $405 million. The company aims to maintain traffic flow by keeping two lanes open during construction, except for some temporary nighttime closures. This strategy is intended to limit the impact on local traffic while still allowing for the necessary infrastructure improvements.

The design-build nature of the project allows construction to begin even as the final design plans are still being developed. Gander noted that the design is currently about 30% complete, with ongoing efforts to finalize the plans as construction progresses.

This project has been a long time coming, having been on MoDOT’s unfunded agenda for nearly two decades. It represents the largest interstate construction program in Missouri since the early 1960s. The expanded highway will run from Blue Springs in Jackson County to Wentzville in St. Charles County, a stretch that sees more than 40,000 vehicles daily.

The expansion of I-70 is expected to provide significant benefits for drivers, including reducing traffic congestion and allowing emergency vehicles to respond more quickly to accidents. 

As construction intensifies, Gander emphasized the importance of driver awareness, particularly regarding the dangers of distracted driving. “When this project gets really rolling, and we have all the different areas that we’re working on, we could have upwards of around 300 people out there working on a day-to-day basis, including our prime contractor and our subcontractors,” he said. “Our goal is for everybody to go home safe, so we really need the public’s help for that.”