Skip to main content

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.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • IRF World Congress 2024: road user charging is the future
    October 16, 2024
    Environmental emergency has put transport at the heart of policymakers’ agendas
  • Chula Vista invites private sector to develop drone and AV programmes
    March 7, 2019
    The city of Chula Vista in California is inviting researchers to propose projects, partnerships and pilot programmes on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and autonomous vehicles (AVs). The city has issued a ‘request for expressions of interest’ highlighting that city-owned facilities are now available to businesses and organisations. Eric Crockett, economic development director, says: “Chula Vista is the only city in the nation with federal recognition for both AV and UAS testing and validation in a real
  • Low-costs solutions to improve pedestrian safety
    May 8, 2015
    David Crawford welcomes low-cost safety initiatives for pedestrians in America. Some 10 people die each week in accidents on crosswalks in the US, that’s more than 10% of all pedestrian fatalities in road traffic incidents - the number of which is running at a five-year high. Ensuring crosswalks are safe is key in supporting the growing enthusiasm for walking as a travel mode. In the last decade of the 20th century, numbers walking to work in the US fell by 26%; while, as recently as 2012, Americans were e
  • Preliminary programme now available for the 18th ITS World Congress
    April 20, 2012
    ITS America has released the Preliminary Programme for the 18th World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), an interactive e-brochure that is a one-stop resource for the latest information on the major activities planned for World Congress week which will take place in Orlando, Florida from 16 – 20 October, 2011. The event is expected to draw over 10,000 attendees from 75 countries including legislators, transport ministers and public sector officials, international business and technology l