The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has selected a Clarkson-Radmacher joint venture for its Improve I-70 KC project. The $237 million overhaul aims to improve safety and accessibility on the 5-mile stretch of I-70, according to the agency.
Clarkson Construction Co. and Radmacher Brothers Excavating, both based in Kansas City, Missouri, competed against one other team, a Lunda Construction Co. and Parsons joint venture, for the design-build contract. Construction is slated to start in spring 2025 with an anticipated finish by spring 2028, which is seven months ahead of the required completion date, according to the release
The project is part of a broader overhaul: Missouri allocated $2.8 billion in its fiscal year 2024 budget to reconstruct 200 miles of I-70, which runs east-west across the state and has been a source of consternation for drivers for decades.
The Kansas City work will take place between Paseo Boulevard and U.S. 40/31st Street, a heavily traveled segment that includes 12 interchanges and 26 bridges. The bridges, pavement and bicycle and pedestrian facilities all need repair and improvement, according to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.
The project will:
- Add a fourth eastbound I-70 lane from Prospect Avenue to the Manchester Avenue Bridge.
- Replace 15 bridges and rehabilitate another seven bridges.
- Improve pedestrian and bicycle connectivity throughout the project area.
- Reconstruct I-70 from Chestnut Avenue to 18th Street.
- Reconstruct eastbound I-70 from 27th Street to Cypress Avenue.
- Rehabilitate westbound I-70 from 27th Street to Cypress Avenue.
Currently, the section has narrow shoulders, short distances between ramps, low bridge vertical clearances and outdated roadway geometric features, per the release.
“This project is critical to the Kansas City region to replace aging infrastructure, improve connectivity between neighborhoods along and across I-70 and improve safety and traffic flow including the Benton and Jackson curves,” said Missouri DOT Project Director Allan Ludiker in the release. “We will do all of this while keeping three lanes of I-70 open each direction during the World Cup.”
Kansas City will host six FIFA World Cup games in 2026. The city is preparing by renovating the Arrowhead Stadium, building new parking structures, working to finish its KC Streetcar extension lines and making other infrastructure improvements.