MoDOT, in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration, is working on a Design-Build project to improve areas of Interstate 70 and Highway 63, causing  multiple traffic issues. The reconstruction project includes many improvements such as new concrete pavement on all three lanes of I-70 in each direction for the 20-mile section between Columbia and Kingdom City. The road also includes wider inside and outside shoulders, and improved interchange designs at the U.S. 63 and U.S. 54 interchanges at I-70 according to the Missouri Department of Transportation I-70 project page. 

However, the new reconstruction has affected students’ ability to arrive safely at school and other events. Many students have to drive from Battle to the Career Center daily, and the road construction on Highway 63 has affected their ability to do so. 

“There’s a lot more traffic and it makes it take longer to get from Battle to the Career Center,” said Finley Polacek. Polacek drives to her Career Center class daily. “The first time I drove on it, I was very confused, and it was weird for everyone because they were all merging over at the same time, which made it to where I almost wrecked.” 

This additional traffic leads students to be late to classes. Even teachers have trouble with the road construction and closures. For teachers getting home, “The left exit closures to the business loop changed the way I get home, and it added 5 more minutes to my time getting home,” said Carly Coughlin, English teacher. 

The closures have led to delays and confusion on the roads that lead to both students and teachers having issues coming to and from school.

The new reconstruction areas have been progressing for the past 9 months and are expected to be finished in 2027.