CONCORDIA, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) held a groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 26 for a new truck parking project along the I-70 corridor.
Funded through a Federal Grant (INFRA), Improve I-70: Truck Parking is a $33 million Design-Build project that will expand availability of truck parking along the I-70 corridor. The project will make improvements at the existing truck parking locations in Concordia, Boonville, Mineola and Wright City. This Design-Build project was awarded to best value proposer and Design-Build contractor team, the KCI Construction Team, which is comprised of contractors KCI and designer Bartlett & West. Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2026 and is anticipated to be complete in late 2028.
Missouri’s FY2024 budget, approved through the state legislative process and signed into law by the governor, provides $2.8 billion in General Revenue to build a third lane of I-70 across the state. The program will plan, design, construct, reconstruct, rehabilitate and add a third lane in each direction on nearly 200 miles of I-70, from Blue Springs to Wentzville
“As we prepared for this major investment, it became clear that adding capacity to the interstate also meant addressing another critical need,” said Dan Ash, MoDOT third party lead for the Improve I-70 program and project director for the program. “The storage of safe, available truck parking along the I-70 corridor.”
Once the project is complete, it will add 255 truck parking stalls along the I-70 corridor. It also include other benefits such as remodeled restroom facilities, lighting upgrades and pollinator habitats.
“Improvements like this would not be possible without the support and leadership of the Missouri Highway Transportation Commission,” Ash said.
Once in a Lifetime Project
According to Warren Erdman, Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission chairman, this is a once in a lifetime project.
“[It’s] really the largest MODOT has ever undertaken in its history,” Erdman said.
According to MoDOT, over 10,000 trucks utilize I-70 daily and during peak hours, all of I-70’s public truck parking areas are over capacity and 75% of private truck stops are over capacity. Providing safe off-highway parking reduces the cost of shoulder and guardrail repairs on interstate ramps caused by trucks parking on ramp shoulders and removes trucks from the roadside of active traffic. Â
Giving Drivers a Safe Place to Park
Tom Crawford, Missouri Truck Association CEO, said that a lot of time is spent on how to move trucks and keeping highways moving efficiently, but that there is more to trucking than transporting goods. That includes giving drivers a safe place to stop.
“Transportation and trucking is a major part of the economy,” Crawford said. “About one in every 15 jobs in Missouri is involved in transportation. Missouri’s trucking industry also make significant contributions to the states transportation system. We’re doing it without tolls in Missouri. Our industry pays 33% of the all taxes owed by Missouri motorists, while representing only 13% of the vehicle miles traveled in this state.”
A Highway Safety Issue
According to Crawford the project matters because federal regulations govern how long a trucker can be on the road.
“The clock tells the driver when to stop, but it doesn’t give them a place to park,” Crawford said. “When safe parking isn’t available, that becomes a trucking problem. It becomes a safety issue for all Missourians on the sharing the road on I-70.”
Crawford noted that the project is a practical investment in safety, the freight system and the professional drivers who keep Missouri and America moving.
An investment in Safety
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association president Todd Spencer was on hand for the ground breaking ceremony.
“I want to thank the state and federal transportation officials and local leaders here today for listening to truckers and taking meaningful steps to improve roadway safety for all motorists,” Spencer said.
Spencer said he had made many trips to Missouri’s capitol over the past 20 years speaking to legislators about making improvements to the transportation system.
“I’m thrilled that they finally have,” Spencer said. “Those investments pay off in safety but they pay off in productivity for the state. More than 70% of America’s freight moves by truck. Every community, grocery shelf and job site depends on the professionals operating these 80,000lb. vehicles every single day.
Truck Parking Crisis
According to Spencer, the truck parking crisis is reaching critical levels.
“Right now across American, there is only one safe designated parking spot for every 11 trucks on the road,” Spencer said. “Professional drivers waste more than an hour every single day just searching for an open place to park. This isn’t a minor inconvenience. It’s a crisis that’s been years in the making that forces drivers into impossible situations. Under ridged hours-of-service rules, every minute spent circling ramps or industrial parks is valuable time wasted.”
Spencer noted that a lack of safe and legal parking drives up stress and adds unnecessary costs to the supply chain.
“When a truck driver runs out of hours and has nowhere legal to park, they are forced to choose between breaking the law or parking on highway shoulders and entrance and exit ramps,” Spencer said. “We all see that if we drive at night. We’d like to get away from that. A semi truck parked on the shoulder is a hazard truckers and also a safety risk for all motorists traveling the highway.”
Spencer also noted that adding the new parking stalls will improve crash rates and save lives.
Other DOT’s currently have similar parking projects in the works such as Wyoming and Louisiana.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
