WENTZVILLE, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Transportation has announced its plans for nearly $3 billion in funding to improve Interstate 70.
It held the first of several open house meetings in Wentzville on Monday.
Crews will begin work early next year in Columbia and the next phase will be in Wentzville in the fall.
Brian Phipps says he’s seen crash after crash on I-70 from his very own window at his Wentzville apartment.
“You'll see it blocked in both directions. And I don't see it improving until something gets done now. And we need to really, really think about what we're doing,” Phipps said.
To make some major changes for drivers, MoDOT will be adding a third lane to both east and westbound I-70 from Blue Springs to Wentzville. At the same time, they hope to make other safety improvements.
“We're evaluating everything from the pavement to the bridges to the exit ramps to, you know, how do we make sure that cars that veer off the road are safe? So we're reevaluating everything at this point,” Improve I-70 Project Manager Eric Kopinski said
Phipps said he hopes to see guardrails installed around some of the tight curves.
“I guess it was about a year ago, a guy ran off the road and flipped and slid down the hill backward. And of course, he was killed right near our pond,” Phipps said.
The project will happen in six different phases, including 20 miles from Wentzville to Warrenton.
"So particularly here in Wentzville, we want to see reconstruction of the 64, 40, 61, interchange near Highway Z because it really bottlenecks there on Interstate 70 along with the railroad,” Wentzville Ward 2 Alderman Robert Hussey said.
MoDOT wants to hear from the public about the project. You can provide feedback here.