Plans for a six-lane Interstate-70 include 450 feet of right-of-way, left to right. It’s probably too wide to punch through cities like Columbia, Wentzville, Warrenton, and Wright City. It would mean displacing dozens of businesses in each town and buying-up large amounts of right-of-way. Other options include bypasses and raised highways. Dan Nichols, who is overseeing the design for the new I-70, says his staff will research what to do and get more public input before announcing detailed plans this time next year. While he says no decision has been made, a spokesman for the department of transportation says planners will most likely recommend interstate bypasses for those towns.
