ST. LOUIS - MoDOT, St. Louis City and St. Louis County engineers continue to monitor morning and evening rush periods one month after the closure of the east half of I-64 from I-170 to Kingshighway.  There are several key tips for motorists to use as they continue to make their way around the closure.

            "The most important thing we are seeing is that the key east-west alternates of Page, Forest Park Parkway and Manchester have consistent travel times each rush hour," said MoDOT I-64 Project Director Lesley Hoffarth.  "It appears motorists have chosen their alternate route and are sticking to it."

            The peak travel time in the morning is from 8 to 9 a.m. and in the evening from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Motorists can significantly improve their travel time if they adjust their schedules a little earlier.

            Today was also the first morning with students back in class at Washington University.  Engineers noticed only a minimal increase in delays on Forest Park Parkway and on Skinker.  There was a noticeable increase in pedestrian traffic accessing the campus and crossing major streets.  Motorists should use caution and watch out for these pedestrians.

            The County reported heavy congestion with motorists turning from Big Bend to Forsythe to access downtown Clayton.  Motorists are reminded that these small neighborhood streets, like Forsythe and Wydown, are not good detours to Clayton.  Use Clayton Road, Forest Park Parkway or Delmar instead. 

On the interstates in the morning rush, there are few key areas engineers are watching for increased traffic congestion compared to 2008.  Those locations include:  eastbound I-64 from Long Road to Mason Road, I-55 from Gasconade to the reversibles on I-70, and I-170 both directions approaching Forest Park Parkway.

For the full travel time reports on the major alternate routes for Friday night and this morning, visit www.modot.org/stlouis. For more information on the I-64 project, visit www.thenewi64.org/ or call the project hotline at 314-524-9191.  For current traffic, go to www.gatewayguide.com/ or call 5-1-1.

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