Construction is beginning at the I-70, I-435 interchange in Kansas City, Missouri.  This interchange currently serves over 200,000 drivers per day, and is one of the most congested and accident-prone sites in the Kansas City Metro area.  An official groundbreaking ceremony took place on Tuesday for this $40 million project. 

The project will add a half-diamond interchange at I-435 and Highway 40; replace the Blue Ridge Cutoff Bridge over I-70 with a wider bridge; reconfigure ramps at I-70 and Highway 40; reconfigure the ramp from northbound I-435 to eastbound I-70; and add a third through-lane on both eastbound and westbound I-70 beneath I-435.

The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011 and is being paid for with federal stimulus money and state funds.  Clarkson Construction Company of Kansas City is completing the work.