More truck traffic and more truck crashes may help drive efforts to get Interstate 70 improved in Missouri.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a new study has found that the steady increase in the number of trucks on I-70 is a big concern among the public, and is leading to more crashes.
"Missourians are uniformly concerned for their safety when traveling on I-70," Missouri Department of Transportation consultants concluded. "Much of this concern centers on the number of freight trucks and the speed at which they drive."
A draft environmental impact statement for the proposed $2.73 billion widening of I-70 found that trucks were involved in more crashes on I-70 from 1994 to 1998 than on other interstates in Missouri, even when pro-rated for mileage. It found that the I-70 accident rate for Missouri was twice as high as it is on Interstate 80 in Iowa, another major commercial truck traffic corridor. The study blamed heavier traffic volumes and higher speeds on I-70. The study also found that traffic near St. Louis and Kansas City is already at or nearing unacceptable levels.
The Missouri Department of Transportation wants to widen the highway to six lanes through rural Missouri, the paper reported. However, there is no funding for the design or construction of a new I-70 at this time. It will start a round of public hearings on the environmental report Aug. 27.
The draft environmental impact statement can be seen at www.i70study.org.