Football fans face road construction on first Mizzou game day
Euphenie Andre
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Editor’s Note: A correction has been made about the closures on Interstate 70.
Thousands of fans traveled to Columbia on Saturday for the Missouri Tigers’ first football game of the season, packing Faurot Field and creating heavy traffic around campus hours before the 6:30 p.m. kickoff.
By mid-afternoon, traffic congestion was building along Stadium Boulevard and Carrie Francike Drive as parking lots filled and tailgates got underway.
Some drivers said the construction along Interstate 70 made the trip especially difficult.
“I came from Canton, Missouri. I drove I-70. The construction is awful,” said Keegan Birck, a fan traveling in for the game.
Even short trips from nearby communities required adjustments.
“Coming up 63, we made a plan to take an exit on Grindstone instead of going past Stadium,” said Trey Walz.
Others chose to avoid the congestion entirely by walking to the stadium.
“The traffic’s been kind of crazy,” said Drew Russell. “We wanted to walk through all the tailgating and really get a feel for the game.”
The Missouri Department of Transportation is encouraging fans to plan their trips carefully on Game Days, particularly while several construction projects continue along I-70.
“We encourage football fans and motorists to plan their travels ahead of time, leave early and allow for extra time, drive the speed limit and pay attention in work zones,” MoDOT said in a statement. “Work zone speeds are reduced to 55 mph and lanes are narrowed in some areas.”
MoDOT didn’t close any lanes on westbound I-70 between St. Louis and Columbia until kick-off. The only planned eastbound closure was near Warrenton overnight, which could have affected fans heading back to St. Louis after the game.
On the Kansas City side, impacts are minimal, with no detours in place, though narrowed lanes and reduced speeds will remain in work zones.
Officials encourage drivers to allow for extra time both before and after the game, as well as throughout the holiday weekend.