Gov. Mike Parson signs bill to expand I-70 across Missouri
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ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Drivers will soon see at least three lanes on Interstate 70 across the entire state of Missouri.
New legislation will expand I-70 across the entire state to at least three lanes. Gov. Mike Parson introduced the plan earlier this year, and he was in Foristell on Monday for the ceremonial signing of House Bill 4.
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The work is expected to ease congestion on the heavily traveled interstate between St. Louis and Kansas City. It’s a 200-mile stretch of I-70 that will start in St. Charles County and go all the way to Blue Springs, just outside Kansas City.
The bill Parson signed is a nearly $3 billion plan to expand the stretch of I-70 from two lanes to three. A lot of stretches of I-70 in more rural areas are only two lanes right now.
Back when the governor first pushed for this project, he was asking for $860 million from the state. However, state lawmakers have pushed the plan even further to a $2.8 billion project.
On Monday, the governor held a ceremonial signing of House Bill 4, which provides the money for the project.
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The I-70 expansion is the biggest project in House Bill 4. If you drive on I-70, you can probably relate to some of the drivers we spoke with:
“With the two lanes, there’s accidents a lot, and it’ll stop, and you’ll just get stuck, so when you think you’re going to Columbia in an hour and a half, it might take 2.5 to 3 hours,” driver Gail Kline-Coyle explained.
“Between here and Jefferson City, there’s always a bottleneck; there’s always going and coming back,” local Cynthia Wilsman shared.
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Construction is expected to begin next summer. It will take about 6-7 years to complete.
The governor’s next stops will be in Columbia and Sedalia. He’ll visit the Kansas City area on Tuesday for another ceremonial signing of the bill.
