Northeast News
January 28, 2013

A Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) environmental study of approximately seven miles of Interstate 70 from The Paseo interchange to Blue Ridge Cutoff interchange is on pace to be completed on time with the help of extensive community guidance.

“We started with 12 alternatives and with the public’s input and study team’s evaluation we were able to narrow the alternatives to three,” said MoDOT Project Manager Allan Zafft.  “We’re now seeking additional ideas to further refine these in an effort to develop a preferred improvement strategy for this section of I-70.”

The proposed alternatives include:
• No-Build: includes maintenance activities as needed and projects that are already committed;
• Geometric Improvements: incorporates the No Build Alternative with improvements aimed at improving the engineering issues in the corridor, such as short ramp lengths, tight curves, and weave areas;
• Interchange Consolidations: incorporates the Geometric Improvements Alternative and consolidates some closely spaced interchanges.

“We encourage people to log on to our online town hall meeting at www.metroi70.com to let us know what they think though February 25,” said Zafft. “We’re also hosting a series of mobile meetings in February throughout the corridor, so people can also stop by and talk with a member of our study team.”

Mobile meetings are scheduled as follows:
• Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, 10 a.m. to noon, The Museums at 18th & Vine, 1616 E. 18th Street, Kansas City, Mo. 64108
• Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Pioneer Community College, 2700 E. 18th Street, Kansas City, Mo.  64127
• Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. Paul School of Theology, 5123 E. Truman Road, Kansas City, Mo.  64127
• Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Linwood Family YMCA, 3800 E. Linwood Boulevard, Kansas City, Mo. 64128
• Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013, 8 to 10 a.m., Kansas City VA Medical Center, 4801 Linwood Boulevard, Kansas City, Mo. 64128

“There is currently no funding for design and construction,” said Zafft. “But completing this study is an important step in having the project ready to go should funding become available.”

The study kicked off in December 2011, will last about 30 months, and conclude in spring 2014.  It builds upon the broader work of the I-70 First Tier Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to help devise a more detailed plan on how to best improve the safety and conditions of I-70.  The portion of interstate under study is experiencing pavement and bridge deterioration, traffic delays and congestion, and merging/weaving issues at interchanges.

For more information about this study, to include history, timeline and community involvement opportunities, please visit the project website at www.modot.org/kansascity/metroi70.