Missouri Department of Transportation

Columbia commission wants to see improvements at Highway 63 and Broadway and at 63 and Paris road

September 20, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

Columbia’s bicycle and pedestrian commission will outline several of the state Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT) high-priority unfunded needs projects at tonight’s meeting.

Two of the projects that they’ll discuss will include a $12-million project for capacity and safety improvements at Columbia’s Highway 63 and Broadway interchange, as well as $22-million for capacity and safety interchange improvements at Highway 63 and Route B.

The projects are outlined in a new six-page MoDOT report.

The state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) says the improvements at 63 and Broadway are needed to increase economic growth and to improve safety. There’s a Central Bank of Boone County branch at that interchange, and it’s essentially the entrance to a major medical corridor on Keene, with Women’s hospital and numerous medical and dental facilities there. The Highway 63 and Route B interchange is near Columbia’s “food corridor”, which includes Swift Foods, Nabisco, Kraft Heinz and the popular Como Smoke and Fire restaurant.

Two other unfunded MoDOT projects that will be discussed tonight include $5-million to build a new bridge over Persche creek to create a continuous outer road parallel to I-70, as well as $27-million to extend Stadium Boulevard from east of Highway 63 near Kelly Farms to Route WW.

The commission meets this evening at 7 at city hall.

I-70 Rocheport bridge truss to be demolished on Sunday

September 7, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

State transportation officials are urging you to avoid heavily-traveled I-70 in mid-Missouri’s Rocheport on Sunday morning, which is when the truss of the old Missouri River bridge will be demolished.

The state Department of Transportation (MODOT) says the blast is tentatively scheduled to take place at 7:30 am on Sunday. I-70 in both directions will close, and MoDOT urges you to avoid that area between 7-9 am.

Part of the Katy trail will also be closed for the blast, which will drop six-million pounds of steel into the Missouri River. MoDOT says the demo team must then remove pieces of the truss from the river within 24 hours of the blast to reopen the river channel to boat and barge traffic.

The old, deteriorating bridge was built in 1960, when Dwight David Eisenhower was president. Missouri received an $81-million dollar federal grant from the Trump administration for the project. It’s the largest competitive grant ever received by MoDOT.

Governor Mike Parson tells 939 the Eagle that four-million trucks cross the aging bridge annually.

(LISTEN): MoDOT expecting big turnout at this evening’s I-70 informational meeting in Columbia

September 6, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

Boone County Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick (D) and GOP Governor Mike Parson shake hands at the I-70 bill-signing ceremony in MACC’s Columbia parking lot near the interstate (August 15, 2023 photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

The state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is encouraging you to attend today’s informational meeting in Columbia about Missouri’s massive $2.8 billion I-70 expansion plan.

The open house style meeting will take place from 5-7 pm at Battle high school on St. Charles road. MoDOT I-70 director Eric Kopinski joined us live on 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri.”

“These meetings that we’re holding around the state at seven locations, they’re meant to set the baseline. So anybody from the public that wants to know what information we know at this time, we don’t have all the answers. But we do want to share what information we do have as we quickly launch this project into construction,” Kopinski tells listeners.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) has signed bipartisan legislation into law providing the funding. The money will be used to plan, design, build, rebuild and expand I-70 to three lanes in each direction from Wentzville to Blue Springs, which is about 200 miles. MoDOT will NOT be making a formal presentation today, so you can arrive anytime between 5 and 7 at Battle high school.

Several 939 the Eagle listeners have asked about the Bob Evans, Steak ‘n Shake and Mark’s Mobile Glass near Columbia’s I-70 and Highway 63 interchange. We asked Mr. Kopinski about those locations during the live interview.

“And we have yet to know those answers if those businesses are going to be acquired with this project. But we’re doing everything we can to avoid buying businesses and property, because any dollar spent on relocating utilities or buying buildings or property is less money that we can spend making critical infrastructure improvements,” says Kopinski.

MoDOT also plans a similar meeting for tomorrow evening from 5-7 at Boonville’s Hannah Cole school primary gymnasium. You can listen to the full “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” interview with Mr. Kopinski here.

(LISTEN): MoDOT currently lacks funding for multi-million dollar tri-level project in Jefferson City

August 25, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

The state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) says Jefferson City’s tri-level bridges were built in 1964 and that the “flyover” bridges were built in 1991 (file photo courtesy of MoDOT spokeswoman Marcia Johnson)

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) says it will take at least $90-million to redesign and replace Jefferson City’s aging tri-level and a nearby expressway.

MoDOT central district engineer Michelle Watkins tells 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” that the location would have to be studied in-detail.

“We estimate in the high-priority unfunded needs list that an improvement there would be at least $40-million. And that location has another need right next to it identified in the document, and that’s the Rex Whitton Expressway. You’d have to sort of look at those together to be sure that they would work and function well together,” Watkins says.

Ms. Watkins tells listeners that the Whitton Expressway project would cost about $53-million. She describes replacing the tri-level as a large-scale need that’s complex.

“You’ve got three major highways converging in basically the same area. You got about 86,000 vehicles a day coming through that general area. And it’s right up against a river (Missouri River), and it’s in the heart of Jefferson City,” says Watkins.

She says there are a number of businesses and development in the area as well.

Governor Mike Parson has called on MoDOT to consider redesigning that interchange, after this month’s tractor trailer crash and fuel spill that closed busy southbound Highway 54 for five hours. MoDOT says the tri-level bridges were built in 1964 and that the “flyover” bridges were built in 1991.

You can listen to the full interview with Ms. Watkins here.

(AUDIO): Columbia business leader describes I-70 expansion project across Missouri as generational

July 20, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce president is praising Missouri Governor Mike Parson and state lawmakers in both parties for providing funding to six-lane I-70 across the state.

The budget signed by the governor provides $2.8 billion to expand and rebuild I-70 from Kansas City to St. Louis. Columbia Chamber president Matt McCormick tells 939 the Eagle that this is a generational project.

“This isn’t something that happens on a regular basis and (it’s) something that we’ve been working on for a very long time. You now I-70 is such a instrumental part of our state. We saw that whenever we were working on the Rocheport bridge, the amount of truck traffic and the amount of freight that comes across there,” McCormick says.

The state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) says four-million trucks cross the I-70 Rocheport bridge each year.

Mr. McCormick has briefed Columbia-area business leaders on the I-70 expansion project. He predicts it will boost safety and commerce.

“And so to be able to widen that and to be able to redo that to where it’s a good, safe efficient place to move goods, service and people, then we are very appreciative of the governor (Mike Parson) signed off on it. We are very appreciative to the (Missouri) Legislature that supported it,” McCormick says.

Mr. McCormick tells business leaders that the Columbia to Kingdom City expansion will be the first phase done by MoDOT. He also says the Boonville to Columbia phase will be the last one done by crews.

Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee chairman Lincoln Hough (R-Springfield) notes part of I-70 through Missouri was built in 1956, when President Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House.