Ray County drivers will once again experience Interstate Highway 70 construction traffic. Missouri lawmakers have approved funds for a $2.8 billion project aimed at rebuilding 200 miles of interstate highway, expanding it to six lanes between St. Louis and Kansas City. “The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) estimates that this extensive project will take approximately five to seven years to complete,” said State Representative of District 7 PeggyMcGaugh. “MoDOT officials recently informed state lawmakers that construction will commence on a 20-mile stretch of I-70, running from U.S. 63 in Columbia to Kingdom City, starting ‘this time next year.’” The project will be divided into six distinct segments, with the initial phase covering the Columbia to Kingdom City stretch. A tentative project schedule outlines that the final project will involve a highway segment from Marshall to Columbia, according to www.modot.org. Contracts for each of these six projects will be awarded…