Business Loop West, I-70 changes

Drivers near the Business Loop 70 West and I-70 will see some changes this week.

Starting Sunday night at 8 p.m., MoDOT will begin the traffic shift onto the new bridge. The new bridge was slid into place last month. The shift is expected to be finished by 5 a.m. Monday morning, just in time for people heading into work.

MoDOT also says the south outer road, also known as I-70 Drive Southwest, will be connected with the Business Loop by Monday.

Drivers on I-70 will no longer be using the West Boulevard on/off ramps as driving lanes, however the exits will still be closed.

Drivers who take this route should schedule in some extra time. There’s going to be new signs and there will still be construction crews working. It is a $250 fine to speed through a work zone and a $10,000 fine if a driver hits a worker.

According to MoDOT, the City of Columbia’s Transit System will provide the following for the duration of the I-70 bridges project for sections that are impacting pedestrian crossings to bus stops on the Business Loop:

Shuttle service from the Parkade neighborhood to connect with either the #9 Purple Route, #8 Light Green and #2A or #2B Gold Routes. While the #9 is the only route that services this area of the Business loop, the city felt it was unnecessarily burdensome to have the customer transfer from a van to the #9 and then make transfers to the other two routes that connect with the #9. The shuttle will be a scheduled ride and must be called into the city’s ParaTransit line 573-874-7290 by 5 p.m. a day in advance. The customer must state that they want to schedule a ride for the Parkade North Shuttle. The customer will not be charged for the shuttle ride, but will be charged normal fare when they board one of the three bus routes.

MoDOT expects the new interchange with the double roundabouts to be opened by July 27.