MoDOT Prepares for Weekend Road Work, Race for the Cure

MoDOT is closing all lanes on westbound Interstate 64 in downtown St. Louis June 11-13 between the Poplar Street Bridge and 21st Street for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The interstate will close at 8 a.m. Saturday after the race begins. Motorists heading to the race are advised to head downtown early.

Westbound I-64 will reopen at noon on Sunday, but work will continue in this area until 3 a.m., Monday. On eastbound I-64, only one lane will be open between the 21st Street and the Poplar Street Bridge from 8 a.m., Saturday to 3 a.m., Monday.

On the Poplar Street Bridge, there will be various lane closures in both directions on the bridge from 8 a.m., Saturday to 3 a.m., Monday. Illinois motorists heading westbound will need to exit at the I-70/I-55 ramp. MoDOT strongly urges motorists to avoid the Poplar Street Bridge area because there will be traffic back-ups into Illinois. Use alternate routes to get into Missouri, such as I-255, or the Eads, McKinley or Martin Luther King bridges.

Motorists going to the Komen Race will have other routes to get into downtown St. Louis for the events.

 MoDOT suggests the following detour routes:

•      I-70 to Memorial Drive
•      I-55 to 7th Street
•      I-44 to Jefferson
•      Use Metrolink or Metrobus 

Motorists who need to travel westbound I-64 as they leave the race will need to detour to the following routes to access the westbound direction:

•      Pine Street
•      Jefferson Avenue
•      Intersection of Market Street/Compton Avenue 

Crews will perform earthquake seismic retrofit work during this interstate closure. They also will make repairs on the bridge’s driving surface. The work has to be done this weekend to stay on schedule, which is an ongoing process to maintain the bridges along I-64 and strengthen them to withstand an earthquake.

MoDOT has been working with the Illinois Department of Transportation, City of St. Louis and Komen Race organizers to minimize the traffic impact this weekend as much as possible.

Also this weekend, all four lanes of northbound Interstate 270 between Gravois Road (Route 30) and Interstate 44 will be shifted for bridge repairs, weather permitting.

Only two northbound lanes of I-270 will be open as traffic is shifted and the barrier wall is moved during the bridge work north of Gravois and on the I-270 bridge over I-44.

In addition, from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, access to the northbound I-270 entrance ramp from Gravois Road (Route 30) will be closed to help ease congestion and delays.

Once work is completed, the work zone will remain in place with all four through lanes on northbound I-270 open but shifted/curved to the right for next week’s commute. Motorists may face the same type of congestion and delays they experienced last week. Drivers are strongly urged to use alternate routes.

Lane widths will be  reduced on this section of northbound I-270, and the speed limit will be lowered to 45 mph through this work zone.

All lanes of I-270 will be open during heavy weekday traffic. This work is part of the I-270 rehabilitation projects on the northbound and southbound I-270 bridges over Rott Road and the I-270 bridges over I-44. The work zones will remain in place around the clock.

For travel information, call 1-888 ASK MoDOT or visit GatewayGuide.com.