摘要: |
The planning process started in 1999, when MoDOT and FHWA conducted a statewide feasibility study on how best to improve I-70. That study documented the condition of I-70 and how it might operate in the future by looking at how much traffic it could carry, how safe it was, and how easy it was to travel. Based on the 1999 Feasibility Study, MoDOT and FHWA decided to conduct a more detailed evaluation of I-70 improvement options. Because of the size, cost and complexity of the project, the study of possible improvements and their impacts occurred in two phases or tiers. The Improve I-70 First Tier Environmental Impact Statement, completed in 2001, looked at a range of statewide I-70 strategies and selected rebuilding and widening the highway. Interstate 70, as it extends through Missouri, is the only freeway connecting the states two largest cities: Kansas City and St. Louis. As shown in Figure 1, the I-70 Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) study area stretches from Independence (Exit 15, the I- 470 interchange); to Lake St. Louis interchange (Exit 214). |