The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has launched a long-term initiative to widen I-70 by constructing additional lanes over nearly 200 miles of the highway.

Known as the Improve I-70 Program in Missouri, the project aims to add one new lane in both directions along 200 miles of I-70, stretching from Blue Springs to Wentzville. This expansion will increase the interstate’s capacity from four lanes to six.

In addition to expanding the lanes on I-70, the Improve I-70 project has several objectives:

  1. Enhance the interstate’s infrastructure by modernizing existing pavement and bridges.
  2. Improve the efficiency of freight transportation along I-70.
  3. Minimize the impact of construction through enhanced safety measures, effective communication, and strategic construction planning.
  4. Promote job creation and workforce diversity through the project’s employment opportunities.

The project to expand I-70 will be divided into six sections. The first phase is set to start in July 2024 and aims to finish by late 2027. During this phase, construction crews will add an extra lane to both sides of I-70 between U.S. Route 63 in Columbia and Route 54 in Kingdom City.

The second phase will extend the additional lane from Warrenton to Wentzville (I-64), with work potentially starting by spring 2025.

The third phase will focus on the stretch of I-70 between Blue Springs and Odessa. Contracts are expected to be awarded in 2025, and completion could be achieved by 2028.

Additional segments include Kingdom City to Warrenton, Odessa to Marshall, and Marshall to Columbia, although specific start and finish dates for these segments have not been specified.

Officials project that the entire expansion of the I-70 corridor will be finalized by late 2030.

At a June 13 groundbreaking ceremony held in Columbia, Missouri Governor Mike Parson said, “I-70 is one of Missouri’s oldest and most vital corridors. The safety and economic prosperity of Missourians depend on an interstate that grows along with the state and nation. Expanding I-70 to six lanes has been talked about in Jefferson City for decades, but our administration, in working with Senator Lincoln Hough and the General Assembly, is taking action and getting it done. We could not be more proud that the work we’re commemorating here today will continue serving Missourians for generations to come.”