MEDIA ADVISORY: MoDOT to host Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for St. Charles Road bridge over I-70 Aug. 10

The Missouri Department of Transportation invites the media to a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the upcoming completion of the St. Charles Road bridge over I-70.  

The event will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 10, and will take place on the nearly completed St. Charles Road bridge, located at mile marker 131 (also known as the Lake of the Woods exit). Guests are encouraged to park in the shopping center area on the northern side of the bridge and walk over to the ceremony. MoDOT staff will be on site to help guests safely cross to the new bridge. Note: The new bridge is not anticipated to open immediately after the ceremony but is on track to open ahead of the originally anticipated date, weather permitting. 

The original St. Charles Road bridge was built in 1957 and did not provide enough space for six lanes of I-70 travel below. It also created a height restriction on I-70 that has be corrected with the new structure with improved vertical clearance for taller vehicles. The new bridge also features pedestrian crossings on both sides and enhances aesthetics thanks to partnerships with the City of Columbia, Boone County, the University of Missouri, and the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. 

Improve I-70: Columbia to Kingdom City is the first in a series of project that will add a third lane and make other improvements to I-70 across the state in MoDOT’s Statewide Improve I-70 Program. This $405 million fixed-cost contract includes $123 million previously programed for the interchanges at U.S. 63 and U.S. 54. The winning proposal includes new concrete pavement on all three lanes of I-70 in each direction for the 20-mile section between Columbia and Kingdom City, wider inside and outside shoulders, and improved interchange designs at the U.S. 63 and U.S. 54 interchanges at I-70. 

Missouri’s FY2024 budget, approved through the state legislative process and signed into law by the governor, provides $2.8 billion in General Revenue to build a third lane of I-70 across the state. The program will plan, design, construct, reconstruct, rehabilitate, and add a third lane in each direction on nearly 200 miles of I-70, from Blue Springs to Wentzville. Total program completion is anticipated by the end of 2030. For more information on the Improve I-70 Program and to sign up for program e-mails, visit http://www.modot.org/improvei70.   

WHAT  

Ribbon Cutting ceremony celebrating the upcoming completion of the St. Charles Road bridge over I-70 (mile marker 131). 

WHEN AND WHERE   

10:30 a.m., Monday, Aug. 10, 2026  

St. Charles Road bridge over I-70 (mile marker 131) 

Parking is available on the northeast side of the bridge in the shopping center. 
 

• Westbound I-70 Access: Exit westbound I-70 at mile marker 131 and turn right onto St. Charles Road and park on the northeast side of the bridge. Parking is available at Super 8 by Wyndham Hotel. MoDOT staff will assist guests in crossing onto the St. Charles Road bridge. 

• Eastbound I-70 Access: From the U.S. 63 Connector, take Clark Lane eastbound to St. Charles Road and turn right onto St. Charles Road. Park on the northeast side of the bridge. Parking is available at Super 8 by Wyndham Hotel. MoDOT staff will assist guests in crossing onto the St. Charles Road bridge. 

 
 SPEAKERS   

Nicole Samer, Improve I-70: Columbia to Kingdom City Project Director  

Warren Erdman, Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, Chairman 

Kip Kendrick, Boone County Presiding Commissioner 

Jacque Sample, City of Columbia Mayor Pro-Tem and Third Ward Councilmember 

Brandy Broeckling, Millstone Weber 
   

For more information on Improve I-70: Columbia to Kingdom City, visit the project website at https://www.modot.org/projects/improvei70/columbiakingdomcity