St. Charles Road overpass to close for demolition, replacement

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The St. Charles Road overpass on I-70 will close in mid-April for demolition and replacement, with the latter phase expected to take upwards of five months.

According to a news release from MoDOT, crews will start bridge demolition at 7 p.m. on April 10 and work until 6 a.m. on April 13. During that time, both directions of I-70 in the area will narrow to one lane each, and drivers will be directed up the off-ramps and down the on-ramps at the exit.

MoDOT added there will be no access to St. Charles Road as well, and drivers will need to find alternate routes to access I-70.

Normal traffic will resume once demolition is finished, according to MoDOT. At that time the ramps will be reopened for access to the interstate. MoDOT expects construction of the new overpass to continue through the end of September.

The news release said the new overpass, which is part of the Columbia-to-Kingdom City portion of the larger Improve I-70 project, will be wider to accommodate three lanes in each direction of the interstate. It will also be taller to allow more clearance for taller vehicles.

MoDOT said the overpass will also feature pedestrian crossings and "enhanced aesthetics."

You can read more about the specifics of the project here.