Groundbreaking ceremony marks start of Rocheport to Columbia Improve I-70 Project construction
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri Department of Transportation held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday to celebrate the start of construction from Rocheport to Columbia for the next phase of the Improve I-70 Project.
MoDOT contractor Emery Sapp and Sons will begin strengthening the interstate's shoulder from Route BB to Midway starting Monday with nightly lane closures. MoDOT is also demolishing the Providence Road overpass at the end of May, and that process will be similar to the St. Charles Road overpass.
Rocheport to Columbia Project Director Spencer Robsinson said MoDOT is considering the weekend of May 29 to close the highway underneath the bridge while demolition happens.
Gov. Mike Kehoe, U.S. Rep. Mark Alford and Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, among several others, spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony.
The Rocheport to Columbia project is the fourth major construction segment in the agency’s statewide expansion program. The project includes adding a third lane in each direction on Interstate 70 from the Missouri River Bridge at Rocheport to near Highway 63 in Columbia, using new 11-inch full-depth concrete pavement.
This portion of the Improve I-70 Project will stretch nearly 14 miles and will be approximately $441 million, according to MoDOT.
MoDOT’s team’s plan includes improvements to interchanges at Route J/O, Midway (Highway 40), Stadium Boulevard, Business Loop 70, Providence Road, Range Line Street and Highway 63.
The project will also require some bridges to be demolished so that a total of six lanes can fit underneath, Robinson said. Some bridges will also need to be built so that it connects outer roads.
This is happening while the St. Charles Road overpass is being rebuilt. While the bridge work and construction might create some traffic backup, Robinbson said it would take about 10 years for each bridge to have its own construction cycle.
"I know there's a lot of closures all at once right now through town, but very quickly, later this fall, a lot of these improvements will start to open up to traffic again," Robinson said. "You'll really be able to see the improvements take shape."
The St. Charles Bridge and the Highway 63 and I-70 interchange will both reopen in the fall.
The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded Emery Sapp and Sons and Parsons Transportation Group as contractors for the project in December.
