93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
Look for smoother driving in the future on busy Highway 54 between Jefferson City’s Missouri River bridge all the way to the Audrain-Callaway county line north of Interstate 70.
State Rep. Jim Schulte (R-New Bloomfield) tells 939 the Eagle that the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) will resurface that entire stretch. Representative Schulte was briefed by MoDOT before Christmas.
“They’re also adding a third lane or another lane between the Missouri River bridge (in Jefferson City) and the Highway 63-94 overpass so that traffic coming out of Jefferson City and going north will have an extra lane to help relieve some of that traffic congestion,” Representative Schulte says.
He also says MoDOT wants to utilize as many Missouri contractors as possible for the $2.8 billion project to rebuild and expand I-70 to six lanes from St. Louis to Kansas City. He says the agency plans to award a contract in February for I-70’s Columbia to Kingdom City stretch.
“That is what they shared with us in the meeting … that they’re going to try to keep as many of these contracts and jobs in Missouri as they can to help Missourians,” says Schulte.
Representative Schulte’s district includes parts of Fulton as well as Holts Summit, New Bloomfield, Millersburg and Williamsburg.
