Construction has been underway towiden Interstate 44 in Springfield for more than a year, but additional improvements are coming to continue upgrades to the major thoroughfare for the region.
As part of "historic investment," I-44 in southwest Missouri will see additional expansion and interchange remodels. Part of the state-wide Forward 44 efforts, this newest project in total costs $471 million and spans from Newton County to Laclede County. Missouri Department of Transportation representatives, contractors with Capital Paving & Construction and Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, and elected leaders, who helped fund the project, celebrated the groundbreaking of the project Monday, Aug. 24. The largest portion of the funding came from the state's General
Revenue approved by the General Assembly and the governor.
Sara Fields, executive director of Ozarks Transportation Organization, said this was the largest investment in the region's history. She noted that with the Springfield metropolitan area being the fastest growing in the state, the project builds on important momentum.
"This project is about more than moving traffic — it's about moving our economy forward," Fields said. "This historic investment in infrastructure will help fuel economic growth by moving people and goods more efficiently, but it will also create and maintain jobs in an industry that is absolutely essential to our future."
What this means for Springfield
MoDOT Project Director Kristi Bachman said the project in total encapsulates 44.6 miles of improved pavement and 18.9 miles of new lanes. In Greene County, travelers will see an added lane in both directions between Chestnut Expressway and almost Route B in the westbound direction in Webster County and between Strafford and Route B in the eastbound direction.
The widening project currently underway focused on widening I-44 to six lanes in Springfield between Kansas Expressway and U.S. 65. This new project will mean the interstate includes six lanes throughout the entire Springfield segment.
Of the total six interchanges that will be improved as part of this new project, only one is outside of Greene County — the Fidelity interchange in Jasper County. Improvements locally will include the Kearney Street interchange, conversion of the U.S. 160 interchange to a diverging diamond and operational improvements at the U.S. 65 interchange. The Division Street bridge will also be rehabilitated.
Among the major parts of the project are updates to the Kansas Expressway and I-44 interchange, which has seen increased traffic delays and safety concerns. Bachman said the project will include a southbound on Kansas to eastbound I-44 flyover ramp and a new access to the interstate at Grant Avenue. To prepare for this work, MoDOT announced nightly closures of north and southbound left lanes on Kansas Expressway north of I-44 at the interchange between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Monday through Friday starting Aug. 24 through Sept. 24.
This effort includes eliminating the signal at Norton Road and Kansas Expressway and replacing it with roundabouts to connect east and west sides of Norton slightly north of the current intersection that pass underneath Kansas Expressway. According to MoDOT project documents, this new collector-distributor system will create a more intuitive access to Hillcrest High School, the Dickerson Park Zoo and the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds.
While work for sections of improvements in Webster County is set to begin in October, Bachman said any new construction in Springfield will get underway later, after the current widening work is completed. According to the MoDOT website, that is anticipated to be completed in May 2027. The total regional improvement project is scheduled to be completed by November 2031.
Once construction commences, Bachman said at least two lanes will remain open during peak hours. She encouraged frequent travelers to sign up for automated emails on the MoDOT project website to be alerted of any traffic changes.
Focus on safety improvements
The major interstate has been in need of additional capacity for years. As traffic continues to grow, the increased congestion has made the highway less safe. Between 2018 and 2022, there were more than 1,250 total crashes on I-44 in Greene County, 14 of which were fatal, according to previous News-Leader reporting. Study work that led up to the improvement project estimated that in 2050, the Greene County portion of I-44 would see average daily traffic of 63,400 cars.
Bachman said this newest improvement project will reduce the number of fatal and serious injury crashes in the southwest portion of the interstate by 108 per year. State Rep. Bill Owen also emphasized the safety aspect of the project, honoring two lives lost on the highway — Jeannie Rhoads, who died in 2017, and Hillcrest High School teacher Jennifer Bryant, who was killed in a crash in 2024.
"Let's never forget the safety factor and the importance of it, so that we can pass through southwest Missouri and its highways and byways and be able to live to tell about it," he said.
Bachman said the project continues to gather public input with a public hearing planned for the end of September. Updates and more information can be found on the Forward 44 MoDOT website. Virtualpublic meetings regarding rehabilitation of the northbound U.S. Route 65 to westbound I-44 flyover bridge will be held between Sept. 8 through Sept. 22.
Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield will get additional lanes of I-44, new interchanges
