The Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission has selected Team Capital-CMT as the Best Value Proposer for the $471 million Forward 44: Southwest I-44 Improvements Project, advancing one of the state’s largest highway modernization efforts.
The design-build project will provide improvements to Interstate 44 in southwest Missouri from the Joplin area near the Oklahoma border east to Laclede County near Lebanon. The scope includes major interchange reconstructions, freeway widening, bridge work and pavement improvements in a critical freight corridor.
Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission Chairman Warren Erdman said the selection is a “huge step forward” for MoDOT. “This effort continues to seek innovative opportunities to deliver important projects with the greatest value to serve the citizens of Missouri for many years to come,” he added in a statement.
The winning team includes contractor Capital Paving & Construction LLC and designer Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc. The commission selected the proposal from a field of four competing teams that also included Ames Millstone Weber Joint Venture, ESS Team and MasTec DB Team.
Interstate 44 is one of Missouri’s major east-west transportation routes, connecting Joplin, Springfield, Rolla, and St. Louis.
MoDOT describes the highway as a key commercial corridor that connects to Interstate 40 and carries a mix of vehicular, recreational and freight traffic. Trucks account for more than 30 percent of traffic in parts of the corridor, according to agency procurement documents.
Contract negotiations are ongoing, according to state filings, and construction is expected to begin later this year and be completed by Nov. 15, 2031.
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The scope includes reconstruction of the I-44/I-49 interchange near Fidelity and the I-44/Missouri 13 interchange in Springfield, widening portions of I-44 to six lanes in the Springfield area, pavement and safety improvements in Greene, Webster and Laclede counties, bridge improvements on Route EE in Lawrence County and paving work.
The project is part of MoDOT’s broader Forward 44 initiative to address capacity, safety and infrastructure needs along Missouri’s interstate corridor.
State lawmakers appropriated $20 million in fiscal year 2024 for an environmental study of I-44 and then approved more than $577 million in funding for fiscal year 2025 for corridor improvements. The Southwest I-44 improvements project includes $328 million in state general revenue funding and $143 million from the state Transportation Improvement Program.
“We are honored by MoDOT’s confidence in the Capital-CMT team and excited by the opportunity to help deliver this transformative investment in the I-44 corridor,” said Kevin Peart, Capital’s chief operating officer. “We look forward to … a safer and more resilient corridor that will strengthen connectivity and serve the region for decades to come.”
Traffic volumes along the corridor currently range from about 47,000 vehicles per day in Newton County to nearly 55,000 vehicles per day in Greene County, according to MoDOT. The department projects significant growth by 2050, citing the need to modernize infrastructure built “decades ago” to meet future demand.
The project will use a design and build delivery method. MoDOT said the approach allows work to continue simultaneously, reducing project duration and improving efficiency.
MoDOT did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.
