ROBINSON’S RAMBLINGS

BY JOHN DRAKE ROBINSON

If you hate Interstate 70, you’ll love this.

Maybe.

You’re gonna see some changes … down the road. The proposed alternatives to changing Columbia’s stretch of I-70 have been discussed and debated, analyzed and scrutinized by a citizen advisory group which recently held its final public meeting. Members of the general public also had the opportunity to comment.

Eventually, the Missouri Department of Transportation will make the final decisions on any changes. And, when enough funding comes along, you just might have a new six-lane I-70 coursing through Columbia.

Someday. I hope I live to see the changes. My grandson will.

An 18-mile length of I-70 through most of Boone County with 10 interchanges — from just east of Route BB (Exit 115 east of the Missouri River bridge at Rocheport) to just east of Route Z (Exit 133) — will undergo a makeover designed to improve the drive through the Columbia corridor. To make it safer; more efficient.

Some of the improvements may take a decade or two, as they await funding. The elephant in the room — the I-70/63 interchange knot — already has dedicated funding.

MoDOT has presented multiple proposals — two to four different options for most of the interchanges/ exits along the route. The study breaks the I-70 aorta through Columbia into three sections: west, central and east.

I had a chance to see the proposed change options up close when I subbed for my grandson, Austin, who couldn’t make a scheduled citizen advisory group meeting. The advisory group is just one set of eyes studying the massive project. Its members represent a cross section of the community, primarily stakeholders in one fashion or another. The usual suspects are on the advisory group: mayor, former mayor, city manager. But other stakeholders represent businesses, tourism, law enforcement, cyclists and pedestrians.

I am proud of my grandson for standing up to join this advisory group. It’s just one of several civic efforts in which he participates. Beyond his wish to see a more efficient I-70, Austin does have a specific interest in preserving that unique left lane exit ramp off westbound I-70 that delivers drivers to the Business Loop, where Lee's Tire Co. sits. That's a business founded by his other grandfather, the late Lee Stidham.

Austin's quest to preserve that exit ramp faces an uphill battle. There are four current options for the I-70/63 interchange. And the left lane exit to the Business Loop only survives in one of those scenarios.

I learned a lot at the advisory group meeting. Especially enlightening were comments from law enforcement personnel who spoke up about specific trouble spots with high accident rates. Interestingly, one trooper urged the group to examine ways to extend Missouri 740 (Stadium Boulevard) east to connect with I-70 at Lake of the Woods or beyond.

In 1999, MoDOT studied the corridor as part of a First Tier Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). That study assessed needs and strategies for I-70 across the state and determined that the most appropriate improvements for I-70 would be six lanes in rural areas, eight lanes in urban areas and improved access management.

Seven years later, a Second Tier EIS took a fresh look at the corridor. That study recommended one additional lane in each direction on I-70, including through the city of Columbia, plus replacement of all existing interchanges and overpasses, access management where appropriate and continuous outer roads as necessary.

This Second Tier EIS serves as the foundation for the current reevaluation, according to MoDOT.

The citizen advisory group’s work is finished now, for the most part. Members reviewed alternatives and provided input but did not vote on solutions. Final decisions will be made by MoDOT and the Federal Highway Administration.

Time frames vary, dependent on dollars. But the design-build procurement process is scheduled to begin early next year. See more specifics at modot.org/improvei70Columbia.

John Drake Robinson is a former director of the Missouri Division of Tourism and has driven every mile of highway in the state.