I-55

Southbound Interstate 55 at Route M Improvements

Barnhart weigh scale to close
Missouri’s first virtual weigh scale on Route 67
Jefferson County’s first roundabout
New safer ramp onto Interstate 55 Southbound

Construction starts December 2009

I-55

Interstate 55 Expansion from Route M to Route Z

American Recovery and Revitalization Act (ARRA)
New bridges on Interstate 55 over Route M
Added lane in each direction of I-55
Soundwall study to be performed on Interstate 55 (Route M to Z)

Construction starts March 2010

I-55

Northbound Interstate 55 at Route M Improvements

New ramp from Route M to Northbound Interstate 55
New Interstate 55 weigh scale to open in Bloomsdale

Construction starts 2011

Public meeting flyer (1 page, 41.3kb)

To view animation of the completed interchange click here

To view the overall project (1 page, 2.03 mb)

I-55

Southbound Interstate 55 at Route M Improvements

The Project Includes:

New southbound Interstate ramp from new roundabout on Metropolitan Blvd.

Closure of the southbound I-55 weigh scale and virtual weigh scale on Route 67.

Jefferson County’s first roundabout

Construction begins December 2009 through end of 2010. Construction work will address the congestion problems caused by the short, tight loop ramp at Route M and the slow moving trucks entering and exiting the weigh scale. The project construction cost is approximately $3 million and funded by a federal earmark.

I-55

To view the roundabout click here (1 page, 1.71 mb)

Southbound Interstate ramp from new roundabout on Metropolitan Blvd.

Construction Impacts and Schedule:

Project starts December 2009
Closure of the Route M to Interstate 55 Southbound loop ramp. Traffic will be detoured to Highway US 61/67 to access Interstate 55 south at Route Z until the new ramp is complete.
Widening of the southbound Interstate 55 off-ramp at Route M. This ramp currently has a shared left and through lane at the intersection with Route M. The new widening will allow for separate left and through traffic lanes for the ramp. Improved signing on the ramp will help direct drivers and reduce lane confusion
The Metropolitan Blvd approach to Route M will have dual right turn lanes -- one lane designated for access to the left turn lane to northbound Interstate 55, the other lane to head toward US 61/67. Overhead signing will designate the lane drivers are to use.
Construction of the roundabout. There will be no improvements made to Marriot Lane.
Lengthening of the right turn lane from Route M eastbound to Metropolitan Blvd
March 2010 closure of the Barnhart scale house and construction of virtual weigh scale on Route 67
The Barnhart weigh scale site will have access to Metropolitan only and will be converted to a commuter lot in 2011.

Barnhart weigh scale to close and Virtual Weigh Scale to open on Highway 67

The Southbound Interstate 55 weigh scale house at Barnhart will be closing in the Spring 2010. The new scale house will open in 2011 in Ste. Genevieve County. Missouri's first virtual weigh scale will open in March 2010 on Highway 67 near I-55.

To view information about the virtual weigh scale click here (1 page, 1.12 mb)

Jefferson County’s first roundabout

A roundabout in the area of Marriot Lane will be built on Metropolitan Blvd. This roundabout provides a safer way to access Interstate 55 as well as improvements to the traffic flow along Metropolitan.

To view the roundabout click here (1 page, 1.71 mb)

This roundabout will have access to Southbound Interstate 55, Marriot Lane, the commuter lot/ MoDOT maintenance building, and Metropolitan Boulevard. No improvements will be made to Marriot Lane. The southbound ramp to Interstate 55 in the new roundabout on Metropolitan will replace the loop ramp that is currently in place. Motorists will make yielding right turns around the roundabout to access all roads. The roundabout loop is designed to handle tractor trailers.

For more information about roundabouts in Missouri:

http://www.modot.mo.gov/central/major_projects/documents/233.3_DrivingtheRoundaboutWay.pdf

To view a video animation of driving a roundabout click here

http://www.modot.mo.gov/stlouis/major_projects/jeffersoncountyupdates.htm.

For more information contact:

Shirley Norris, Project Manager at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636)

Kristy Yates, Area Engineer at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636)

Interstate 55 Expansion from Route M to Route Z

The Project includes:

Widening of Interstate 55 to 3 lanes in each direction between Route M and Route Z
Resurface existing lanes in each direction between Route M and Route Z
Replace and widen Interstate 55 bridges over Route M and Glaize Creek
Install new high tension guard cable after lanes are widened in the median
To view the entire high tension guard cable pamplet click here (2 pages, 567 kb)
Increase shoulders from 6 feet wide to 10 feet wide

Construction begins in March 2010 through 2012. Construction work will address the congestion problem by widening the interstate to 3 lanes in each direction and will address the safety issues by adding features such as median shoulders, new high friction pavement, and high tension guard cable. The project construction cost is approximately $ 15-20 million and was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

I-55

Construction Schedule and Impacts:

Project to begin in March 2010
Two lanes will be open in each direction of Interstate 55 during peak hours. Night time lane closures will be utilized for construction
During the construction of the bridges over Route M and Glaize Creek, the lanes of traffic will be shifted, the speed reduced and the lane widths reduced to 11 foot lanes over Route M.
Northbound Interstate 55 exit to Route M will be closed during the bridge construction. Traffic will be detoured to Route Z to Highway 61/67 to access Route M

Noise analysis to be performed

A noise analysis is required whenever MoDOT widens an existing roadway. MoDOT will use a federally approved traffic model to analyze the change in noise from the widened I-55 from Route M to Route Z. The model looks at a 20-year noise projection. Noise levels must be projected at greater than 66 decibels to require construction of noise abatement, which is typically a soundwall. For more information on MoDOT’s soundwall policy, please click on:

http://www.modot.mo.gov/stlouis/links/docs/sndwalls_304.pdf

http://www.modot.mo.gov/stlouis/major_projects/jeffersoncountyupdates.htm

For more information contact:

Shirley Norris, Project Manager at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636)

Kristy Yates, Area Engineer at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636)

Northbound Interstate 55 at Route M Improvements

The Project Includes

New ramp from Route M eastbound to northbound Interstate 55 and new ramp from northbound Interstate 55 to eastbound Route M
New Interstate 55 weigh scale to open in Bloomsdale

Construction begins in late 2011.Right of way will be purchased in late 2010 through early 2011. Construction work will address the congestion problems caused the signal at Route M and the northbound onramp to Interstate 55. The project construction cost is approximately $7 million and funded by Amendment 3 funds.

I-55