COLUMBIA, Mo. – Business Loop 70/West Boulevard and all on- and off-ramps at Interstate 70 and Business Loop/West Boulevard will close for 45 days beginning at 5 p.m. this Sunday (June 12) for construction of a new interchange there.
The south outer road (I-70 Drive) will also be closed at the interchange, but for just 30 days. Creasy Springs traffic will still have access to the north outer road (I-70 Drive).
In addition, the westbound I-70 on-ramp at Providence Road will be closed from 8 p.m. on Sunday to 5 a.m. on Monday.
The work that starts Sunday involves replacing the I-70 bridge over the business loop and building a dual-lane roundabout on the south side of Business Loop 70. Construction of a dual-lane roundabout on the north side of Business Loop is nearing completion.
During the 45-day closure, I-70 traffic will be detoured onto the Business Loop ramps so the old bridge can be removed. The new I-70 bridge at Business Loop will be slid into place just like two other new bridges at Garth Avenue and Range Line Street. The bridge slide will take place in early July.
“When all of the work is finished, traffic will move faster and more efficiently through this very busy interchange,” said Travis Koestner, assistant district engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Central District. “The new set up will also improve access to I-70 Drive and decrease traffic delays on Creasy Springs Road.”
Maps showing the work that will take place at Business Loop during the 45-day closure can be found on the project website - www.modot.org/ColumbiaBridges. A video and brochure providing information on how to drive dual-lane roundabouts can also be found there.
Roundabouts, which move traffic flow in one direction around a central circular island to increase safety and improve traffic flow, reduce crashes by as much as 75 percent, Koestner said.
The $18 million design-build project is scheduled to be completed by Oct. 1, 2016.
For more information, including a complete look at traffic and pedestrian impacts associated with the project, visit www.modot.org/ColumbiaBridges.
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Note: Officials with the Missouri Department of Transportation and Emery Sapp and Sons will be available at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, June 10 in the Comfort Suites parking lot, 1010 Business Loop 70W, Columbia, to discuss the upcoming closure of Business Loop 70/West Boulevard.