While most of the news media focus on the $405-million project to improve and expand mid-Missouri’s I-70 has been on Columbia, nearby Kingdom City is a huge part of the project.
Governor Mike Parson (R) and state lawmakers in both parties held a groundbreaking ceremony for the project on Thursday at the Drury Plaza hotel near the I-70 and Highway 63 interchange. State Rep. Jim Schulte (R-New Bloomfield) attended the ceremony, and he tells 939 the Eagle that he’s excited that the I-70 and Highway 54 interchange in Kingdom City will receive two new bridges and a roundabout interchange.
“Once it’s finished it will increase the traffic flow. The industry, commercial and private travel will just be enhanced, bringing more people through the area. Kingdom City is a huge stopping point with the truck stops there and the diners and everything,” Representative Schulte says.
The state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) also plans to eliminate two traffic signals and I-70 and Highway 54, saying that will improve traffic flow. Representative Schulte is pleased that I70 and 54 will see a new roundabout interchange.
“Other areas where I have been through the roundabouts, they’re much larger, they’re scaled to handle the trailers and the vehicles. So I’ve got faith that the engineers weighed all that out when they designed this,” says Schulte.
MoDOT will also add an additional lane to I-70 between the Highway 63 connector in Columbia and Highway 54 in Kingdom City.