Missouri governor authorizes Interstate 70 widening

Interstate 70 in Missouri will soon be under construction to widen the route linking the state’s two metropolitan areas.

Gov. Mike Parson has signed into law a series of budget bills totaling $52 billion for the next fiscal year. Funding for the east-west route linking Kansas City and St. Louis is included among the spending bills signed into law.

The Republican governor previously requested $859 million to widen three stretches of the 260-mile interstate through the Show-Me State. His focus was to widen the roadway to three lanes in each direction from Blue Springs to Odessa, through Boone County near Columbia, and from Warrenton to Wentzville.

Show me the money

The GOP-led legislature gave the governor more than three times the amount he requested. State lawmakers allocated $2.8 billion to make I-70 at least three lanes statewide.

Half of the amount needed for the project will come from state funding. The rest of the funding will be borrowed.

The Missouri Department of Transportation says many portions of the roadway are “strained beyond capacity.” The agency adds that “outdated interchange designs” increase delays and dampen economic activity.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, has said work could begin as early as this fall to improve about 200 miles of the interstate.

“Our largest investment this session accompanied the governor’s continued effort to revitalize our infrastructure, namely Interstate 70,” Hough said in previous remarks. “To those who say we can’t afford it, I say we can’t afford not to. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the time is now.”

The Missouri DOT puts the timetable for completion at four to five years.

Troopers get boost

Also included in the state operating budget is an 11% pay increase for the Missouri Highway Patrol. Legislators sought a 20% raise, but Parson trimmed the amount.

The salary increase is intended to help recruit new officers. LL

More Land Line coverage of news from Missouri is available.