As the new year rolls in, Columbia residents and travelers along I-70 can gear up for some slow-moving traffic; come January 6, one lane of the eastbound Interstate 70 between Boone County Route B (Paris Road) and U.S. Route 63 will be subject to overnight closures, MoDOT has announced. This temporary inconvenience, recurring from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday, is expected to last until January 25 as part of the groundwork for a major realignment and reconfiguration effort along this stretch of the highway.
The elephants in the room are the lane closures; they signify the commencement of a more extensive project dubbed Improve I-70: Columbia to Kingdom City, one that's slated to include the addition of a third lane of travel in each direction on the 20-mile run from U.S. Route 63 (Columbia) to Route 54 (Kingdom City), but drivers should be aware that this means navigating through various lane closures, so slowing down and staying alert in the work zones is critical, remembering always to buckle up and keep those phones down.
Following a big budget boost from the Missouri General Assembly, to the tune of $2.8 billion, Gov. Mike Parson's signature has marked the launch of a state-wide expansion of I-70, aiming to add a third lane across nearly 200 miles of the vital corridor spanning Blue Springs to Wentzville. This effort is part of MoDOT's Statewide Improve I-70 Program and is a fixed-cost contract valued at $405 million that includes not only the new pavement for all three lanes but interchange improvements at Route 63 and Route 54.
With the entire project on the docket for completion in late 2027, the journey towards a broader, presumably more efficient I-70 is poised to be a prolonged one, those keen on staying up-to-date with the latest developments or on engaging more directly with this significant infrastructure overhaul are encouraged to visit MoDOT's Improve I-70 Program website where signing up for program emails is an option.
