Truckers may soon have a paradise in the Midwest.
Missouri recently won federal approval to rebuild I-70, an east-west route across the state, with truck-only lanes.
Because Missouri plans to seek $200 million in stimulus money for a 30-mile stretch of truck-only lanes, the $4 billion project is eligible for further federal assistance.
Money, however, could be an issue, because the state DOT is looking at a thinning budget over the next five years.
“If we had funding today, we would start building I-70 with dedicated truck lanes, but that is a big if,” Pete Rahn, director of the Missouri DOT, told the Kansas City Star.
The 30-mile test strip between Cooper and Saline counties would highlight the benefits of the traffic management tactic, which is being used in spots across the U.S., while Missouri attempts to lock up the remaining cash. If I-70 is completed, it would be the longest example of truck-only lanes in the country.
Over the past decade officials have looked at alternative ways to improve I-70, which is no longer capable of handling the demands of freight and motorist traffic.
The I-70 concept involves using the two inside lanes in each direction to carry trucks. A concrete barrier would separate the traffic, and in some places truckers wanting to exit would take a ramp into the general traffic lanes so they could leave the interstate. Other areas could actually have truck-only interchanges.
The project, however, does not come without opposition. The Missouri chapter of the Sierra Club questions the corridor’s safety, arguing that truckers crossing over into general travel lanes to exit become a risk.
State officials disagree, pointing out that ramps connecting the truck lanes with the car lanes would be used in areas where freight traffic is relatively light.
