COLUMBIA, Mo. – Two dual-lane roundabouts, along with an improved configuration, will move traffic faster and more safely through the highly traveled Business Loop 70/West Boulevard interchange, which will open to traffic at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
The completion of the interchange marks the last major work to be completed as part of the Columbia I-70 bridges project, an $18 million design-build effort that began last August and included replacing the aging Interstate 70 bridges at Garth Avenue, Range Line Street and Business Loop.
The roundabouts at Business Loop, along with improved traffic flow at I-70 Drive SW and Creasy Springs, were additional improvements provided under Emery Sapp and Sons’ design-build proposal.
“Much of this new interchange work was not included in the project scope, but was provided as part of the design-build process, which provides contractors with a project cost and allows them to determine the best transportation solution,” said Travis Koestner, assistant district engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Central District. “As a result, Sapp has delivered a complex project on an aggressive timetable with minimal impacts to I-70 traffic.”
With the completion of the Business Loop interchange on Wednesday, only minor construction work remains to close out the project. The bridge replacement effort is likely to finish well ahead of the Oct. 1 deadline.
With the opening of the Business Loop roundabouts on Wednesday, drivers are reminded that they must yield to all traffic in the roundabout before entering. More information about roundabouts, including video animations, as well as detailed project info can be found at www.modot.org/ColumbiaBridges.