ST. CHARLES COUNTY –The Missouri Department of Transportation will shift the timeline of the I-70 Cave Springs to Fairgrounds project to further evaluate significant public response. The additional time will allow MoDOT and St. Charles County officials the opportunity to review the solicited feedback of more than 1,400 responses and emails received during a public comment period.
The procurement process will begin in Spring 2021 and MoDOT will present the final design by Fall 2021. Construction will begin Spring of 2022.
Many of the responses mentioned concerns including traffic delays, limited sight lines, congestion, and too many stoplights. The department also received concerns about impacts to businesses during construction and possible changes in traffic patterns.
This project is a regional priority due to the high crash rate, including 3,000 crashes in the past five years, and continued interchange congestion. This section of I-70 was built in the 1950s and 1960s, making it one of the oldest sections of interstate in the country and one of the busiest in Missouri. The congestion at the interchanges often causes traffic to back down the off-ramps to I-70 during rush hours. The north outer road is discontinuous, forcing more traffic onto the interstate. To improve safety, efficiency, and connectivity, MoDOT is looking at both the entire corridor and local system and is open to all solutions for the interstate, outer roads, interchanges, and side street access.
“We appreciate the input from the citizens who use this section of I-70 every day. We are taking the time to listen and understand their concerns. We also want to ensure that our goals for rebuilding this stretch of interstate will address the problems of this corridor,” said Tom Blair, MoDOT St. Louis District Engineer.
The project is a joint project with St Charles County, who has contributed $10 million of the $62 million cost of the reconstruction.
For more information, visit www.i70csfg.com for project updates. To contact the project team, please send an email to i70csfg@modot.mo.gov.
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