Motorists will soon begin to see work to add a third lane on both east and westbound Interstate 70 in Montgomery County in the area known as Mineola Hill. The ESS Team, headquartered in Columbia, will lead the project.

The ESS Team includes Emery Sapp & Sons as the prime contractor and Bartlett & West providing design services.

Crews are expected to be on site the week of July 6 to begin setting traffic control, as well as clearing on the west end working east. They will also be setting erosion control as land disturbance takes place.

This highway project was made possible by a federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant in combination with the replacement of the I-70 Missouri River Bridge at Rocheport in Boone and Cooper Counties.

“The project’s primary purpose is to construct eastbound and westbound truck climbing lanes near Mineola Hill to enable traffic to flow more safely and efficiently and to replace the bridges within the project limits to replace existing structures,” explained MoDOT Project Director Brandi Baldwin.

Construction is expected to be completed by next fall. The program budget is $15.8 million, which includes preliminary engineering, construction engineering, stipends and the $14.4 million dollar design-build contract.

For more information on this or other projects going on in your area, please contact MoDOT’s Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK MoDOT (275-6636).You can also visit us online at www.modot.mo.gov/northeast.