Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 5-1-24

14 I NEWS I
May 1, 2024
MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE
@MIDRIVERS_NEWS
MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
MoDOT unveils plans for massive Improve I-70 road project
By JESSICA MARIE BAUMGARTNER
Rep. Tricia Byrnes (R-District 63) hosted
an open house meeting on Apr. 18 for St.
Charles County elected officials and the
public to learn about the new Improve I-70
construction project that will update 200
miles of road throughout Missouri.
Byrnes brought in MoDOT workers to lay
out preliminary plans and answer questions,
mainly centered around the portion that
reaches from Wentzville through Warrenton
on I-70 and to Dardenne Prairie down I-64.
“This is one of the biggest town halls
MoDOT has seen,” Byrnes said.
MoDOT Deputy Director Chris Kelly
gave the presentation. He explained that the
main goal of the St. Charles County piece
of the project is to widen I-70 to three lanes
between Wentzville and Warrenton, as well
as on I-64 between I-70 and Hwy. K.
The project will also realign the railroad
bridge on I-70 between Wentzville Parkway
and Route Z, and improve the interchanges
at I-70 and I-64/Route 61.
The railroad expansion was of high interest
as it currently bottlenecks traffic down
to two lanes.
“Traffic volumes are much higher than
what it was designed for,” Kelly stated.
A large group turned out to attend the open house, despite thunderstorms on April 18.
(Jessica Marie Baumgartner photo)
Kelly noted the plan for the railway is
to tear it down and build a new bridge that
accommodates eight lanes of traffic, four in
each direction, with room to add two more
in the future. Kelly said once completed, the
bridge should last another 100 years.
Most of the plans for this project are
already fully funded and in the works individually,
but came together as one project
to combine efforts and ensure that these
updates are constructed as efficiently as
possible, according to Kelly.
With Gov. Mike Parsons’ road project
advocacy and the gas tax increases from
MO SB 262, funding has been acquired for
the entire Improve I-70 road project, and
the railroad will not have to pay anything
for the bridge reconstruction.
Contract bids for each portion of the project
will be accepted and approved by the
end of the year, with construction beginning
as early as spring of 2025.
Kelly also noted that the Improve I-70
project will utilize a design-built engineering
strategy, in which MoDOT allows
contractors to complete their own designs
within certain parameters.
“We get a great value out of it,” he said.
The project pieces will have individual
processes and timelines, but by allowing the
design and construction to overlap, contractors
are afforded the freedom to pursue the
project from every phase.
While the Wentzville through Warrenton
section of the Improve I-70 project is just
one of six major road improvement portions
planned to update 200 miles of road
throughout the state, Kelly also noted that
MoDOT plans to have that section completed
by 2028, and the entire project finished
in 2030.
During the Q&A portion of the meeting,
questions regarding overpasses, noise studies
and concerns about design-built projects
were raised.
When addressing concerns about noise
impact, Kelly confirmed that noise studies
are an environmental requirement for this
project and will be held at peak travel times.
A concerned resident noted that testing at
night while most people are sleeping may
better measure the impact, but Kelly said
testing has specific requirements and is
solely focused on peak travel times during
the day.
Former Wentzville Mayor Meade Foster
praised the work that is being done to handle
Wentzville’s expansion but also questioned
See MODOT, next page