93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
Columbia-area motorists should expect some delays Monday morning around mid-Missouri’s busiest interchange, as Columbia authorities clear out a homeless camp near Steak ‘n Shake and Bob Evans.
City of Columbia spokeswoman Sydney Olsen tells 939 the Eagle that one southbound lane of Highway 63 near the I-70 connector will be closed at about 8 am.
“So we will have staff from the city as well as volunteers from the Office of Neighborhood Services arriving out in that area around 8 in the morning. And they’re going to dive right in and start that process to clean up whatever is left behind and also getting in contact with anyone who may be in the area still,” Olsen tells 939 the Eagle.
The city has received complaints from residents and from the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) about trash and potential pollution at the Hinkson creek. Olsen says the lane closure is needed for the cleanup.
“We will be required to close one southbound lane of Highway 63 in that area in order for us to get the equipment necessary back into the area to clean up,” says Olsen.
Video taken by ABC-17’s Nia Hinson from our news partner KMIZ last week shows trash and shopping carts in the homeless camp, which is in a wooded area.
The I-70 and Highway 63 interchange in Columbia is mid-Missouri’s busiest interchange. The state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) says 160,000 vehicles go through that interchange each day.
