Construction for third lane of I-70 from Columbia to Kingdom City to begin in July

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Transportation is planning to begin making improvements to I-70 from Columbia to Kingdom City in July, according to a project director.

On Wednesday night, the department held the first of two open houses this week to gain feedback from the public, as well as display design changes coming to the interstate. A second meeting will occur 4-7 p.m. Thursday at Kingdom City Hall at 5584 Dunn Drive in Kingdom City.

The first part of the project will add a third lane to Interstate 70 from Highway 63 in Columbia to the Kingdom City exit. The Improve I-70 Project aims to add a third lane in both directions across the state. According to Project Manager Jeff Gander, construction is scheduled to begin around July 4 and wrap up in 2027.

Gander said the third lane will be added to what is currently the median and will have the eastbound and westbound lanes separated by a 42-inch tall concrete barrier. He said the department believes adding the third lane will allow crashes to be cleared quicker along the interstate and will help keep traffic flowing in at least one lane.

Gander said part of the project will also feature design changes to the Highway 63/I-70 Interchange. Part of those design changes will include four new roundabouts and a new collector.

"That's the big problem with the connector right now is traffic," Gander said. "So, traffic going Northbound on 63 will have its own dedicated flyover...we're also building a direct connection from Eastbound 70 to Southbound 63."

A direct connection from eastbound Interstate 70 to southbound Highway 63 will also eliminate the need for people to have to enter the connector, Gander said.

Highway 54 in Kingdom City will include a roundabout interchange and will switch to signal lights, according to Gander.

A total of $2.8 billion was allocated in fiscal 2024 to build a third lane on Interstate 70 across the entire state, according to previous reporting. This is more than Gov. Mike Parson's original proposal, which only included a third lane near St. Louis, Kansas City and in the Columbia area. 

Construction firm Millstone Weber, headquartered in St. Charles, Missouri, will build the expanded I-70 from Columbia to Kingdom City for $405 million, previous reporting states.

Some preliminary work was slated to begin in March, according to previous reporting.

Ted Pappas -- who has lived in Columbia since 2011 and attended Wednesday's meeting -- said he supports the improvements and believes they'll be a "tremendous" improvement over the current state of the interstate. However, he said he has some concerns.

"What I fear is when three and a half years from now, when this interchange is finished and all the traffic is moving the way it will be, I think it will be obsolete," Pappas said. "I think we're going to see much more growth, and what we see today as a huge improvement will be maybe a modest improvement."

Gander said he expects construction to begin around rural sections near Little Cedar Creek and Route M because it is the "most shovel ready section."