Missouri DOT Names Contractor for $441M Phase to Widen I-70
A third lane will be added in each direction on the interstate, among other improvements.
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Only a few months after its third phase began, the Missouri Department of Transportation has named the contractor on the $441 million fourth leg of its $2.8 billion Improve I-70 program.
MoDOT identified The ESS Team – made up of contractor Emery Sapp & Sons and designer Parson – as the best-value proposer and design-build contractor for the Improve I-70: Rocheport to Columbia project.
The ESS Team will add a third lane in each direction of a 14-mile stretch of I-70 from the Missouri River Bridge in Rocheport to approximately U.S. Route 63 in Columbia. Other improvements include:
- Upgrading interchanges and intersections at Route J/O, Midway (Route 40), Stadium Blvd., Business Loop 70, Providence Rd., Rangeline St., and U.S. Route 63.
- Building 14 new bridge structures
- Adding north and south outer road connections across Perche Creek
Construction is expected to begin in Spring/Summer 2026 and conclude in late 2029. Two lanes will remain open in each direction during peak travel times.
It’s been a busy year for MoDot, after state and federal officials broke ground in September 2025 on the $350 million Improve I-70: Blue Springs to Odessa project, the third of eight planned projects dedicated to upgrading Missouri’s portion of Interstate 70.
The overarching Improve I-70 project will bring all 200 miles of I-70 in Missouri to three lanes in both directions to address struggling capacity and outdated interchange designs. The FY2024 state budget allocated $2.8 billion in general revenue to pay for the project, which is expected to wrap up in 2030.
