MoDOT to build highway of the future in birthplace of the interstate highway system

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is soliciting proposals from private industry, entrepreneurs and innovators around the world to use I-70 between Kansas City and St. Louis as a testbed for their ITS solutions. Called Road to Tomorrow, the stretch of the interstate is being dubbed as the highway of the future and is being built at the birthplace of the U.S. Interstate System. Missouri was the first state to begin construction shortly after the 1956 bill was signed into law by President Dwi
June 3, 2015 Read time: 2 mins

The 1773 Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is soliciting proposals from private industry, entrepreneurs and innovators around the world to use I-70 between Kansas City and St. Louis as a testbed for their ITS solutions.

Called Road to Tomorrow, the stretch of the interstate is being dubbed as the highway of the future and is being built at the birthplace of the U.S. Interstate System. Missouri was the first state to begin construction shortly after the 1956 bill was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. “It’s only appropriate that the re-birth of the nation’s interstate system begins at its birthplace,” said Stephen R. Miller, Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission (MHTC) chairman. “Missouri has always been at the heart of highway transportation — not only because the state’s geographic location puts it at the nation’s core, but also because of the role it’s played in the realization of Eisenhower’s dream.”

A multidisciplinary team from MoDOT is in Pittsburgh to formally invite ITS vendors to contribute to the project, extensively walking the exhibit hall and attending plenary sessions. The hope is that giving free reign to human creativity and providing a designated site for implementation will generate the very best in American ingenuity.

As the state and the rest of the world struggle to find reliable transportation financing, the project also hopes to give a platform to new funding strategiesn — potentially including a subscription-based system or other creative financing solution. For more information about the project and to submit an application go to modot.org/road2tomorrow.

Related Content

  • Felix Scheuter, of Haenni Instruments, on effective highway weight enforcement
    September 26, 2013
    Felix Scheuter, managing director at Haenni Instruments, the renowned Switzerland-based mobile scales manufacturer, gives World Highways his views on how best to ensure effective highway weight enforcement The main danger for any road is its gradual destruction by overloaded heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). The more frequently such vehicles use a highway, the faster it is destroyed. Mobile patrol teams using mobile weighing scales are a highly effective way to enforce weight limits aimed at protecting ro
    Read More
  • Lagos to get mass transit system
    February 5, 2013
    Lagos, Nigeria, is about to get a mass transit system with a difference, which the manufacturer says will play its part in reducing congestion and air pollution in the city. For the first time in the country’s history of Nigeria, a cable car company, Ropeways Transport, is set to launch a cable car mass urban transit system in the nation’s commercial capital. Under the terms of a thirty-year franchise agreement between Ropeways Transport, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and the Lag
    Read More
  • SES America’s SolarSign wins new product award
    September 9, 2014
    SES America arrives at World Congress fresh from the National Rural ITS conference where its SolarSign was awarded New Product of the Year. SolarSign is a solar powered Dynamic Messaging Sign (DMS) system with full range capabilities for large scale displays on major highways in both rural and urban locations. The solar power system allows signs to be erected where needed without placement being dictated by access to power and the signs can display travel times, warnings and awareness signs.
    Read More
  • Toll roads important to Trump’s infrastructure plan
    January 10, 2017
    According to The Hill, US toll roads may surge under a US$1 trillion infrastructure proposal being floated by Donald Trump. The president elect’s idea for rebuilding the nation’s roads and bridges relies on private companies instead of the federal government to back transportation projects. Experts believe this means investors will be attracted to projects that can recoup their investment costs using some sort of revenue stream, such as through tolls or user fees. “If he moves forward with an infrastr
    Read More

Highlighted Content