KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics in Kansas, Missouri and at the local level. Share your story idea with Charlie.
—
Drivers in Missouri will notice road construction this summer. Between now and October, the Missouri Department of Transportation plans to complete a “historic” amount of construction.
During an event Monday in Grain Valley to recognize National Work Zone Awareness Week, MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger explained there will be 1,000 active work zones in the state every day this summer.
“I’d say four years ago, it might’ve been half of that,” Hassinger said.
The director said funding from a gas tax Missouri increased incrementally from 2021 to 2025 is helping pay for the projects. The department is also catching up on work delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic and is in a years-long project to expand 200 miles of Interstate 70 from two to three lanes.
Hassinger encouraged drivers to be alert in work zones.
“They’re speeding in work zones, and the outcome is not good,” he said.
Driver Jeff Hopper said sometimes work zones can be chaotic.
“It’s orange barrels and whatnot all over the place,” Hopper said.
Other drivers had questions for Hassinger about the historic summer, including how MoDOT plans to handle the influx of tourists using the roads during the World Cup.
“We’re not going to completely quit construction, but we’re not gonna have any lanes blocked,” Hassinger said.
Dalton White spends a lot of time on I-70. He looks forward to the end of 2030 when the expansion project should be complete.
“I’d be curious what the third lane is going to add. What are the perks to it?” White asked.
“What it’s gonna do is make that road more reliable so you can count on traversing I-70 without delay. It’s going to make it safer,” Hassinger answered.
MoDOT reported 24 people died in crashes in work zones in 2025. They were all drivers or passengers in cars, not construction crew members.
—
