Project Improve I-70: 255 additional parking spaces on I-70

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) unveiled its “Improve I-70: Truck Parking” program, which plans to invest $33 million to expand truck parking availability along Interstate 70, covering the stretch from Concordia to Wright City.

With more than 10,000 trucks traveling on I-70 daily, the capacity of public truck parking areas is limited, with 75% of parking spaces being privately owned. Improve I-70 aims to provide safe off-highway parking, reducing the cost of repairing shoulders and guardrails on interstate ramps caused by trucks forced to park in these areas due to the lack of adequate facilities.

MoDOT’s program will be funded through the federal INFRA grant. The design-build project was awarded to the KCI Construction Team, made up of contractors KCI and designer Bartlett & West, who submitted the best value proposal, according to MoDOT. Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2026 and be completed by the end of 2028.

Improve I-70: Truck Parking

The “Improve I-70” program will make changes to truck parking areas along Interstate 70 in Concordia, Boonville, Mineola, and Wright City. The goal is to expand and modernize parking facilities in these locations while also improving safety for users. The project also seeks to minimize construction impacts and provide greater employment opportunities while developing and utilizing a diverse workforce, according to MoDOT’s official statement.

The I-70 improvement project will include:

• 255 additional truck parking spaces, increasing the total number of public spaces available along the I-70 corridor to 506.
• 195 automobile parking spaces and five RV parking spaces.
• Restroom renovations at the Wright City and Concordia facilities.
• Lighting improvements at all locations.
• Seven acres of pollinator habitat plantings distributed across multiple sites.

Currently, there are nearly 2,000 privately owned truck parking spaces along the I-70 corridor. MoDOT’s program plans to offer more public parking options for truck drivers traveling this highway as a way to address the parking challenges drivers face when trying to complete their required rest periods.

The truck parking problem

In 2025, a report by Truck Parking Research compared the total number of official parking spaces with the number of trucks needing daily rest. The comparison found that 1.7 million drivers — approximately 70% of drivers on the road — are forced to park in inadequate locations for rest.

As a result, drivers spend an average of 56 minutes per day searching for parking, equivalent to a daily loss of $105. However, time is not the only issue. The study found that, on average, the following are wasted:

• 15 extra driving miles per day.
• 2 hours parked in unsuitable locations.
• $380 per truck driver daily.
• $37.7 billion annually in additional miles traveled searching for parking.
• More than $82 billion annually in lost productivity due to suboptimal parking locations.

Although grant programs currently exist, they are only beneficial if truck parking projects are approved. Providing safe and convenient parking not only improves operations, but also creates a competitive advantage — an issue the trucking industry continues to face.