Improve I-70 Project Missouri

[Plutonic Panda]

The I-70 and I-44 projects probably warrant their own thread and I'll create one for both. The Improve I-70 Project is a 2.8 billion dollar expansion and rebuild project to upgrade and expand I-70 through the entire state to be a minimum of 6 lanes with shoulders. I would hope median lighting will be included through the entire project but I'm not sure if that's going to happen or not.

Project webpage: https://www.modot.org/improvei70/home

Mileage Mike YouTube Video:

[Plutonic Panda]

The website says project completion is at the end of 2030 I'm not sure if they meant 2030s or the year 2030. If it is 2030 that seems pretty ambitious.

[hurricanehink]

While they're doing it, can they plan for a high-speed rail in the median from KC to St. Louis (with a stop in Columbia)? Sorry, I'll walk out the door and see my way to fictional highways infrastructure.

[Plutonic Panda]

I think if they would just upgrade the existing Amtrak segment to run average speeds of 85-110MPH and increase frequencies to 6x daily  minimum during weekdays that'd help out a lot. Is there even a dedicated STL to KC train?

[hurricanehink]

I think if they would just upgrade the existing Amtrak segment to run average speeds of 85-110MPH and increase frequencies to 6x daily  minimum during weekdays that'd help out a lot. Is there even a dedicated STL to KC train?

The Missouri River Runner has two daily round-trip AMTRAK lines, one of them continuing to Chicago as the Lincoln Service. The train takes 5 hours, 40 minutes, over 288 miles, for an average speed of 49.5 mph. That's with eight stops in total, including the bustling city of Hermann (population 2,200), and Jefferson City, meaning it goes decently far south of I-70.

For reference, I-70 is 248 miles, and would avoid cities like Washington, population 15,075, and known for being the corn cob pipe capital of the world. Meanwhile, much of I-70 has frontage roads on both sides, which would make construction easier. But I know these train-brained ideas are a rowdy subject on a road forum, so I cheer the one more lane crowd, bro

[Beltway]

Missouri's FY2024 budget from the General Assembly and signed into law by the governor provides $2.8 billion in General Revenue for the costs to plan, design, construct, reconstruct, rehabilitate and repair three lanes in each direction on nearly 200 miles of Interstate 70, from Blue Springs to Wentzville.
https://www.modot.org/improvei70/home
...
I don't know why they don't list the federal funding

[ChiMilNet]

Mileage Mike talking about this:

https://youtu.be/GZsSZGGzsF4?si=grx9rCydwmYtOaH8

[Plutonic Panda]

[Strider]

It sounds like I-70 will be 6 lanes through Columbia as well as the entire state?

[Plutonic Panda]

It sounds like I-70 will be 6 lanes through Columbia as well as the entire state?

Correct. The plan is to widen I-70 to a minimum of six lanes throughout the state and modernize it.

[ChiMilNet]

It sounds like I-70 will be 6 lanes through Columbia as well as the entire state?

Correct. The plan is to widen I-70 to a minimum of six lanes throughout the state and modernize it.

I give MoDOT a lot of credit, they seem to be prioritizing the busiest sections in this process. Columbia and then the exurbs of STL and KC. It will especially be good once the section through Columbia is done! That pedestrian bridge next to Providence Road is not all that old, and I am rather amazed that they didn't accommodate a for expansion when they built it. I guess nothing about some additional lighting through Columbia? And yes, I know MoDOT isn't known for adding much lighting in most places.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

2.8 billion for the entire route sounds like way too small of a price tag. I feel like something's not adding up. I thought I saw 12-15 billion quoted before, and that was in different economic times.

[Plutonic Panda]

6th project starting to move forward:

https://www.modot.org/node/91306

[webny99]

2.8 billion for the entire route sounds like way too small of a price tag. I feel like something's not adding up. I thought I saw 12-15 billion quoted before, and that was in different economic times.

Two major factors if I had to guess:
*Widening will likely use the existing median for most/all of the route.
*Most crossings are overpasses, so most bridges won't have to be replaced.

From the looks of things, they're not even shifting the lanes during construction.

[WisJohn]

2.8 billion for the entire route sounds like way too small of a price tag. I feel like something's not adding up. I thought I saw 12-15 billion quoted before, and that was in different economic times.

Two major factors if I had to guess:
*Widening will likely use the existing median for most/all of the route.
*Most crossings are overpasses, so most bridges won't have to be replaced.

From the looks of things, they're not even shifting the lanes during construction.

They are shifting on to the service roads now and then, which is kind of fun to drive IMO actually.

[Strider]

I can't remember which YouTube video I watched, but someone drove on I-70 when it shifts onto one of the service roads just east of Columbia. I will have to find the video... but it was interesting to watch.

But I will be on I-70 going through Missouri next month, so I get to experience it in real life.... lol

[mvak36]

https://www.modot.org/node/91306

MoDOT announces prequalified teams for sixth Improve I-70 project, Kingdom City to Warrenton
Projects
Improve I-70: Kingdom City to Warrenton

JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Department of Transportation has received Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) from the teams interested in competing for the contract to design and construct the sixth project of MoDOT's statewide Improve I-70 Program. Improve I-70: Kingdom City to Warrenton is a $583 million Design-Build project that will improve the 44-mile stretch of Interstate 70 from Kingdom City to Warrenton and is one of several projects which will widen the I-70 corridor across the state.

Missouri's FY2024 budget form the General Assembly signed into law by the governor provides $2.8 billion in General Revenue for the costs to build a third lane of Interstate 70 across the state. The program will plan, design, construct, reconstruct, rehabilitate, and add three lanes in each direction on approximately 200 miles of I-70, from Blue Springs to Wentzville.

The pre-qualified teams are as follows:

    Ames Construction
        Ames Construction, Parsons Engineering
    Improve 70 East Alliance
        Emery Sapp & Sons, Clarkson Construction Company, Wilson & Company, and Bartlett & West
    Millstone Weber Team
        Millstone Weber, Jacobs Engineering, and WSP
    Missouri Interstate Constructors
        William Charles Construction, Michels Road & Stone, Inc., KCI Construction, AECOM, and TYLin

MoDOT will issue the Request for Proposals in late June 2026 to these teams to work through development of their Design-Build proposals for the project. The department will work through the procurement process with these teams, who will submit their proposal for the potential selection of the winning contract in November 2026. Construction could start as early as Spring 2027. There are still opportunities for additional consultants and subcontracting firms to be added to each team.

Design-Build is a project delivery method that combines both the design and construction phases into one contract. The selected contract team completes the design and construction in parallel instead of in succession, which saves time and resources.

The project goals are as follows:

    Deliver the project by Dec. 31, 2030, within the program budget.
    Provide a third lane of travel for eastbound and westbound I-70 from Kingdom City to Warrenton.
    Modernize I-70 while improving pavement, bridges, and interchanges to provide better traffic flow and movement of freight.
    Minimize construction impacts with a focus on work zone safety, communication, and construction staging while maintaining mobility.
    Provide expanded employment opportunities while developing and using a diverse workforce.

Project Site: https://www.modot.org/projects/improvei70/kingdomcitywarrenton

[Gnutella]

https://www.modot.org/node/91306

MoDOT announces prequalified teams for sixth Improve I-70 project, Kingdom City to Warrenton
Projects
Improve I-70: Kingdom City to Warrenton

JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Department of Transportation has received Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) from the teams interested in competing for the contract to design and construct the sixth project of MoDOT's statewide Improve I-70 Program. Improve I-70: Kingdom City to Warrenton is a $583 million Design-Build project that will improve the 44-mile stretch of Interstate 70 from Kingdom City to Warrenton and is one of several projects which will widen the I-70 corridor across the state.

Missouri's FY2024 budget form the General Assembly signed into law by the governor provides $2.8 billion in General Revenue for the costs to build a third lane of Interstate 70 across the state. The program will plan, design, construct, reconstruct, rehabilitate, and add three lanes in each direction on approximately 200 miles of I-70, from Blue Springs to Wentzville.

The pre-qualified teams are as follows:

    Ames Construction
        Ames Construction, Parsons Engineering
    Improve 70 East Alliance
        Emery Sapp & Sons, Clarkson Construction Company, Wilson & Company, and Bartlett & West
    Millstone Weber Team
        Millstone Weber, Jacobs Engineering, and WSP
    Missouri Interstate Constructors
        William Charles Construction, Michels Road & Stone, Inc., KCI Construction, AECOM, and TYLin

MoDOT will issue the Request for Proposals in late June 2026 to these teams to work through development of their Design-Build proposals for the project. The department will work through the procurement process with these teams, who will submit their proposal for the potential selection of the winning contract in November 2026. Construction could start as early as Spring 2027. There are still opportunities for additional consultants and subcontracting firms to be added to each team.

Design-Build is a project delivery method that combines both the design and construction phases into one contract. The selected contract team completes the design and construction in parallel instead of in succession, which saves time and resources.

The project goals are as follows:

    Deliver the project by Dec. 31, 2030, within the program budget.
    Provide a third lane of travel for eastbound and westbound I-70 from Kingdom City to Warrenton.
    Modernize I-70 while improving pavement, bridges, and interchanges to provide better traffic flow and movement of freight.
    Minimize construction impacts with a focus on work zone safety, communication, and construction staging while maintaining mobility.
    Provide expanded employment opportunities while developing and using a diverse workforce.

Project Site: https://www.modot.org/projects/improvei70/kingdomcitywarrenton

I-70 badly needs a third lane on Mineola Hill.

[Ned Weasel]

https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/i-70-from-prospect-to-emanuel-cleaver-ii-to-be-closed-for-11-months-in-2027

The good news is, they're not adding a fourth westbound lane.

But the interesting part is they're practically doing an 11-month test run of freeway removal.  I'll be interested to see the resulting data from those 11 months, regarding changes to overall traffic volumes, which roads see traffic increases, time shifts, mode shifts, and pollution levels in neighborhoods surrounding the affected portion of I-70.