Mitchell Kaminski
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri Department of Transportation hosted its first of two public hearings on Monday, as plans take shape for major upgrades between Rocheport and Columbia.
The project is part of Missouri’s statewide Interstate 70 expansion effort, with MoDOT officials saying interest is only growing.
“This is probably your 12th, 13th public meeting we’ve had around the state for various items. This has been our most well-attended public meeting we’ve had to date,” Improve I-70 Program Director Eric Kopinski said. “They want to know what the playbook is going to be. How is this going to be built? How is it going to work in their area? So we’ve really welcomed that opportunity to share what the benefits are going to be and how the construction is going to happen.”
The meetings focused on MODOT’s Improve I-70: Rocheport to Columbia project, the fourth major construction segment in the agency’s statewide expansion program. The project includes adding a third lane in each direction on Interstate 70 from the Missouri River Bridge at Rocheport to near Highway 63 in Columbia, using new 11-inch full-depth concrete pavement.
Kopinski said adding the third lane has driven much of the redesign work.
“When we started this project, we knew we had to add a third lane in each direction and then everything thereafter. We went to the private industry and said, how can they best maximize the dollars that are available? So we lean on that competition and our process to really see what additional permits we could get. So there are a few bells and whistles with this project that we were able to add and interchanges that are going to be made better. And so we’re really excited for that and that’s going to be a game changer for for the local area.”
In many areas, simply widening the existing roadway was not feasible. Because of this, Kopinski said some interchanges near Columbia needed a “facelift” to accommodate the added capacity and to address safety concerns.
MODOT’s team’s plan includes improvements to interchanges at Route J/O, Midway (Highway 40), Stadium Boulevard, Business Loop 70, Providence Road, Range Line Street and Highway 63.
“As we’re on eastbound and westbound I-70 today, adding the third lane is really difficult. In some areas it’s impossible. And so we knew at some of the locations we were going to need to rebuild those interchanges to begin with,” Kopinski said. “Many of the interchanges also have vertical clearance deficiency. So when you’re traveling on eastbound or when you’re traveling on westbound, that vertical clearance for that overpass is not up to current standards. So we wanted to improve that as well.”
In total, 14 new bridge structures will be built as part of the project, and new north and south outer road connections will cross Perche Creek.
Some bridges will be replaced because they cannot accommodate the added lanes, while others are nearing the end of their useful life. Kopinski said replacing them now will reduce the need for future closures.
“Some of those bridges are in locations that we can’t add the third lane, so it’s being accommodating for the third lane eastbound and third lane westbound. That was a driver for some of it,” he said. “Then we also looked at what bridges are in poor condition now. Some of them have recently been replaced in this area and they’re fine. We don’t need to touch them, but some of them are in poor shape and they’re at the end of their useful life. So while we’re here, being able to replace those is going to be critical and really welcoming that when we’re done, we don’t need to be back in this area of I-70 for a while for bridge work or for pavement work.”
Construction is expected to begin this spring or summer and continue through late 2029. Officials said drivers should prepare for significant traffic impacts during that time.
“There will be significant construction impacts with this project, so we don’t want to sugarcoat that,” Kopinski said, encouraging residents and travelers to sign up for alerts on MoDOT’s website. “We want to make sure we’re clearly communicating to the local area. And then as we do work on I-70, we want to make sure that travelers are also aware, local businesses are also aware of what’s happening.”
MODOT has committed to keeping two lanes of travel open in each direction during peak travel times, but lane shifts, overnight work and temporary closures are expected. Kopinski said nearly 350 workers could be on the corridor daily during peak construction.
“This summer and next summer there’s going to be significant work taking place. So we know that it’s impactful. We encourage anyone to leave a little early. Please give our crews room to work as well,” he said. “We’re going to have close to 350 workers out in that stretch every day, every night, pouring concrete, doing bridge work. They just want to go home safe. So we encourage everyone to to give our crews a little extra room. We’re going to get done with this as quickly as possible.”
Spencer Robinson, project director for the Rocheport to Columbia segment, said most feedback at the meetings has been positive.
“Most people are genuinely happy with a lot of the improvements we’re bringing, a few comments, a few things we missed, which is what we expected. That’s why we have these events,” Robinson said.
He said attendees emphasized the importance of maintaining traffic flow and minimizing detours and property impacts.
“Folks wanted us to keep traffic open while we’re doing it with a minimal detour route and with taking as little right of way as possible with these projects. So we’ve tried to thread that needle with every one of these projects,” Robinson said.
Robinson added that nearly every interchange in Columbia is heavily used and in need of upgrades.
“Anyone that’s lived in Columbia for a high amount of time knows every interchange in town is busy like every one of them could use a facelift or need some additional capacity or some rework to entry angles,” he said. “We’re doing that with a lot of them here in town.”
The Rocheport-to-Columbia segment is part of a broader, nearly 200-mile expansion of I-70 from Blue Springs to Wentzville. Missouri lawmakers approved $2.8 billion in general revenue in the fiscal year 2024 budget to fund the statewide third-lane expansion over the next several years.
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