UPDATE: MoDOT to begin major Highway 63 bridge work in Columbia on Monday

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State transportation officials are urging you to slow down and to be patient, with bridge construction on busy Highway 63 in Columbia starting Monday morning.

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Missouri Governor Mike Parson was joined by state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) employees at June’s I-70 groundbreaking ceremony in Columbia (June 14, 2024 file photo courtesy of Governor Parson’s Flickr page)

It’s all part of the state Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT) massive $405-million project to rebuild and six-lane I-70 between Columbia and Kingdom City. MoDOT plans to build two new bridges on Highway 63 in Columbia, starting Monday. Citing safety for motorists and for MoDOT and contract employees, Highway 63 traffic will shift Monday to a head-to-head configuration while the bridges are built.

Starting Monday, all Highway 63 traffic will be moved to the northbound lanes with temporary traffic control devices separating northbound and southbound traffic. You will also see a reduced speed limit. MoDOT says 52,000 vehicles a day travel through this area.

State Rep. Jim Schulte (R-New Bloomfield) is urging you to be patient, telling 939 the Eagle that it will be a win-win when the entire project is completed.