As you brace for your commute next week and the weekend after, know that a buffet of road work awaits in Mid-Missouri, with a slew of projects lined up spanning from Interstate 70 repairs to a series of rural route resurfacings. The Missouri Department of Transportation has laid out its plans for maintenance and construction from March 24 through March 30, and as usual, the caveat remains that the weather might just remix the schedule. Drivers are advised to be vigilant for slow-moving operations like pothole patching and brush cutting that could pop up across various regions.
For those threading through Boone County, prepare to hit the brakes on I-70 with the pavement getting a facelift near mile marker 135.8, making the eastbound driving lane a no-go from dusk till dawn, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. And with construction on the much-anticipated Improve I-70 program, you can expect a head-to-head dance with fellow motorists on U.S. Route 63 until the curtain falls on the project later in 2025. More delights are to be had as lanes make intermittent disappearances until January 2027 for new pavement construction, linking Route B to U.S. Route 63.
Meanwhile, over in Callaway County, Route YY gets a makeover from Jade Road to Scanland Farm Road, but not without shutting down the stage entirely from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, when culvert replacements take the spotlight. A similar story unfolds on U.S. Route 54, only the traffic here will flow in a single lane, teasing possible delays during those high-strung rush hours, as reported by the Missouri Department of Transportation.
If Camden County is on your map, be prepared for a slowed pace; Route D's pavement is undergoing improvements that are set to conclude in May 2025, and traffic on Route MM might test your patience with toll booth removal maneuverers tying movement to just one open lane. Heading into Cole County, there's more single-lane drama with U.S. Route 50 undergoing pavement repairs starting March 26 at Broadway Street—where a sliver of the eastbound route will remain in play, as stated by the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Moving through the state, various construction activities are reshaping bridges, culverts, and roadside infrastructure, with tree clearing and pedestrian facility upgrades dotting the landscape of highway preparation and improvement. Mid-Missouri is witnessing a concerted effort bound by flaggers, pilot cars, and the ubiquitous presence of construction crews guiding the flow from Morgan County’s intersection improvements to Crawford County's roadside enhancements Missouri Department of Transportation reports.
As projects from the Improve I-70 program continue to burgeon across the region, it's clear that while the immediate jolts to daily traffic patterns may disrupt some, these long-term investments are crafting a Mid-Missouri better primed for the journeys that lie ahead. For a detailed journey through the valley of road work or to glean further wisdom on how best to navigate the stretches of construction, travelers can visit Missouri Department of Transportation's comprehensive site at modot.org/improvei70/columbiakingdomcity.
