Two more highway construction projects this weekend will join the closures that have been slowing and frustrating St. Louis-area drivers since early February.
The Missouri Department of Transportation on Sunday will begin closing lanes and ramps on interstates 44 and 55 south of downtown St. Louis. By Monday morning, the department will also close multiple lanes of Interstate 70 on the Blanchette Bridge, which connects St. Charles and St. Louis counties. Both projects are expected to be complete in 2021.
The closures this weekend are the latest in several highway construction projects in the St. Louis region. Exits near downtown St. Louis on Interstate 64 closed in early February, as did a stretch of Interstate 255 in Illinois between Collinsville Road and I-64.
Both Missouri and Illinois transportation departments say drivers should expect delays and watch for detours.
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Blanchette Bridge
Construction will close two lanes in each direction across Blanchette Bridge next week. Closure schedules will vary throughout February and March; a timeline is available online.
The closures are part of a $33 million rehabilitation project awarded to KCI Construction Company. The project will repair and replace parts of the bridge that have decayed over time. It will also repaint the eastbound bridge.
MoDOT officials say construction will end on westbound lanes by November 2020. But construction will continue on the eastbound bridge in 2021.
Commuters can sign up to receive construction updates from MoDOT by emailing Blanchettei70@modot.mo.gov.
Jefferson Bridge
MoDOT will close several lanes and ramps on I-44 as part of a project to replace the bridges over Jefferson Avenue. Westbound lanes on I-44 will close beginning on Sunday. The ramp connecting northbound I-55 to westbound I-44 will close for a few days next week.
More information about the project is available on MoDOT’s website.
After MoDOT completes that project, it will resurface I-44 between Compton Avenue and I-55. All construction is planned to end by spring 2021.
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