MoDOT Halting Work On I-70 on Thursday

JEFFERSON CITY - The Missouri Department of Transportation is suspending all construction and maintenance work on Interstate 70 for a brief time on Thursday to accommodate an expected increase in traffic due to the University of Missouri football game in Columbia. Highway work on I-70 between St. Louis and Kansas City will stop at noon on Thursday and resume at 6 a.m. on Friday.

Mizzou plays Nebraska in an 8:01 p.m. game that is expected to create a larger than usual amount of weekday traffic on I-70. Thursday's game is the first weekday game hosted by Mizzou in 17 years. Most MU football games are played on Saturdays when highway work typically stops for the weekend.

"Our goal is to make sure traffic moves smoothly and safely," said Don Hillis, director of system management. "In anticipation of a larger than normal volume of traffic on Thursday because of the game, we felt it was best to temporarily shut down operations so we wouldn't add to the congestion."

Hillis said the move would not hinder the timely completion of any of the I-70 projects. He also reminded motorists to do their part to stay safe by buckling up, obeying the speed limit, driving sober and paying attention to the task at hand.

Drivers can also know what's happening on I-70 before they go by checking out the I-70 Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/scout70corridor or by visiting www.kcscout.net. Both sites post information about incidents that might affect travel. Motorists are reminded to check out these information sources ahead of time, not while they're driving. MoDOT has message boards in place along Interstate 70 to provide information to travelers while they're on the road.

For more information about construction projects in the Kansas City Area, please visit http://www.modot.mo.gov/kansascity.  For instant updates, follow MoDOT_KC on Twitter or send questions and comments to kccommunityrelations@modot.mo.gov.