Heads up, Columbia residents and night-time road warriors: the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has announced some necessary overnight closures on Conley Road next week. Specifically, MoDOT will be shutting down the stretch of road where your cravings for pancakes and orange chicken collide – yes, the entrance between IHOP and Panda Express is going on a little nighttime hiatus. According to MoDOT's announcement, the closure will take place from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. across three evenings, January 27 to 29, so plan your late dinners accordingly.
Now, not all is lost because the other entry points to feed your late-night munchies will remain accessible, but let's not forget, this is all for the greater good, or so we're told – culverts aren't going to install themselves, you know? It’s important to remember that mama nature has a hand to play in this and if she throws down some bad weather, those plans might just change. Still, all this hustle and bustle on Conley Road is merely a prelude, a small chapter in the grand saga of the Improve I-70: Columbia to Kingdom City program, you know, that multi-year project that's reshaping your highway into something commendable by 2027, adding a third lane each way and jazzing up some key interchanges to make your road trips smoother and stack them with less rage against the relentless stop-and-go traffic.
Back to Conley, if you are thinking about hitting the road during those closure times, MoDOT bids you to keep a sharp eye on lane closings, and the ever-present construction workers making this magic happen night and daily. Because let's be honest, nobody wants to be the cause of a new traffic tale of woe, we see enough of those flood our feeds already. And yes, MoDOT's not simply nagging when they say buckle up and keep your phones down – those simple acts could save lives, your own included.
But hey, if you're really trying to decode what all this construction might mean for your future road-time joy, consider the grand plans announced by MoDOT. They've set the stage with a hefty $405 million fixed-cost contract to lay down new pavement and to sprinkle some innovation on the I-70 interchanges at Route 63 and Route 54, all of which should roll out the proverbial red carpet by late 2027.
