Local and state officials met at the eastbound weigh station on Interstate 70 just east of Foristell on March 20 to break ground on the Improve I-70 Project #2: Warrenton to Wentzville.
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Local and state officials met at the eastbound weigh station on Interstate 70 just east of Foristell on March 20 to break ground on the Improve I-70 Project #2: Warrenton to Wentzville.
The project, which is slated to begin construction in April, will widen the interstate to three lanes from Wentzville to just past Warrenton and will also include interchange improvements to overpasses at exit 203 in Foristell, exit 200 in Wright City and exit 193 in Warrenton.
Outside of Warren County the project will also widen Interstate 64 from Highway K to its intersection with I-70, provide improvements to that highway interchange and realign the s-curve on I-70 in Wentzville.
The project is scheduled for completion in late 2028.
“Interstate 70 has long been a thoroughfare in Missouri, connecting our community, helping our economic growth and serving as a vital corridor of commerce and travel,” said Warren County Presiding Commissioner Joe Gildehaus. “However, as we all know, the critical infrastructure has been facing increasing challenges over the years.”
The $600 million project, the largest in MoDOT’s history, was awarded to the Improve I-70 Alliance, comprised of Emery Sapp & Sons and Clarkson Construction, in November of last year.
According to MoDOT officials, Emery Sapp & Sons will handle the bulk of the work in St. Charles County while Clarkson Construction largely will be focused on Warren County.
“First and foremost, we understand the traveling public are excited to get through this project without hiccups, one of the commitments we made is to allow two lanes of traffic on I-70 at all peak hours. That is a big commitment for our team, and we intend to deliver on it,” said Josh Doerhoff, executive vice president at Emery Sapp & Sons.
Kim Trainor, the Improve I-70 east project director, said at an informational meeting earlier this year the first stages of that work in Warren County will take place between Highway 47 in Warrenton and the rest stop in Wright City.
She said they will largely focus on widening the interstate first, and will begin work on interchange updates later. While decisions remain on the specifics of the work to replace highway overpasses in Warrenton, Wright City and Foristell, she said MoDOT plans to hold additional public meetings before those overpasses are replaced.
Renderings for those changes can be found on MoDOT’s website at https://www.modot.org/projects/improvei70/warrentonwentzville under project renderings.
“We’re all gonna have to hang in there for the next few years, but the outcome that we can see in the future is a bright one,” said MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger.
The Warrenton to Wentzville section is a part of the larger Improve I-70 project that will widen the interstate to three lanes from Wentzville to just outside of Kansas City. Construction on the first part of that project started last year from Columbia to Kingdom City.
Gildehaus expressed his gratitude to the officials present for the improvements that were going to be made in Warren County, and stressed that the continued engagement of citizens and local and state officials was vital to the success of the project.
“Let us continue to work together in the united, shared vision of progress in prosperity, so that the improvements on Interstate 70 are not just for Warren County, but will remain a place of opportunity and growth and pride for our county,” said Gildehaus.
