ST CHARLES, Mo. — One of Missouri's busiest highways will undergo several upgrade projects over the next five years thanks to a multi-million dollar grant.
On Wednesday, Gov. Mike Parson mentioned during his final State of the State Address, alongside Congressman Sam Graves that the state would be a recipient of a $92.8 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant to improve Interstate 70.
The 250 miles of highway connect the state’s two largest cities and carry more rural daily traffic than any other route in the state with 85,000 to 90,000 vehicles passing.
The focus of the INFRA grant is for specific I-70 improvement projects. The projects include truck parking, Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), work zone safety technology, and workforce development.
Here are some of the benefits after the projects are complete:
- provide an extra lane of travel on eastbound and westbound I-70 from Blue Springs to Wentzville.
- improve the interstate while modernizing the existing pavement and bridges.
- increase the efficiency of freight movements along I-70.
- minimize construction impacts with a focus on elements like work zone safety, communication, and construction staging.
"So far they've been doing a good job," said Shawn Kelley, a trucker who commutes on the highway daily. "I mean they're hitting just about every bridge they can as fast as they can.
"The work. It messes up traffic in the meantime but everybody got to look at the big picture after it. Safety is the biggest thing."
The first Improve I-70 project's contract is set to go in front of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for approval at its February 14, 2024 meeting.
The first phase of the project includes the segment of interstate from Route 63 in Columbia to Route 54 in Kingdom City. Officials urge construction on this first segment could start as early as summer 2024.
The second project will focus on the segment from Warrenton to Wentzville and the third from Blue Springs to Odessa. Projects two and three are scheduled to be under construction in 2025.