JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The new southbound U.S. Route 63 bridge, south of Interstate 70 in Columbia, is nearing completion and crews anticipate beginning construction of the northbound bridge next week. This will bring changes to the traffic through the work zone – though motorists entering the work zone may not notice a significant change.
Currently, both directions of U.S. Route 63 between the Boone County Route W (Broadway) overpass and the Conley Road underpass are pushed to the northbound lanes in a head-to-head configuration. The week of April 7, construction crews working with the Missouri Department of Transportation plan to switch traffic to the newly constructed southbound bridge to allow for construction of the northbound bridge. This new traffic pattern will be in place through the end of August.
Both directions of U.S. Route 63 will continue to narrow to one lane before entering the head-to-head configuration and reopening to two lanes. The length of the single-lane closure for southbound traffic will be extended to allow for rehabilitation work on the bridges over I-70. All exit and entrance ramps for U.S. Route 63 will remain open.
During the traffic shift, construction crews will remove the current pavement markings and restripe the road. Motorists are asked to slow down, use extra caution, and have patience when travelling through the work zone.
All work is weather dependent, and subject to change.
These new bridges will create an underpass allowing traffic from Conley Road to move north directly into the I-70/U.S. Route 63 interchange. The U.S. Route 63 underpass is the first phase of the work to reconstruct the I-70/U.S. Route 63 interchange, which is one portion of the first project within MoDOT’s Statewide Improve I-70 Program.
Missouri’s FY2024 budget approved through the state legislative process and governor provides $2.8 billion in General Revenue to build a third lane of I-70 across the state. The program will plan, design, construct, reconstruct, rehabilitate, and add a third lane in each direction on nearly 200 miles of I-70, from Blue Springs to Wentzville. For more information on the Improve I-70 Program and to sign up for program e-mails, visit http://www.modot.org/improvei70.
For more information, call MoDOT at 888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636) or visit www.modot.org. To receive the latest statewide news and text alerts, signup for e-updates.
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