MoDOT has started construction on a new I-64 interchange at Tower Grove. The bridges at Taylor and Newstead over I-64 have closed. This project, done in partnership with BJC HealthCare and Washington University in St. Louis, is intended to improve the flow of traffic around Kingshighway and into the medical campus.

How does this construction project impact I-64 Traffic?
MoDOT will keep three lanes open on I-64 in both directions from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays.. Overnight, drivers can expect lane closures with at least one lane open at all times on I-64 in both directions.

Lanes on the interstate will be narrowed and shifted throughout the project. There are three weekend closures of the interstate scheduled to remove the bridges at Tower Groves, Taylor, Newstead and Boyle. The first closure was the weekend of February 1-4 when crews removed the Taylor and Newstead bridges. A second closure, for utility work, is planned for late February.

Taylor and Newstead are closed across I-64 until November 2013, while crews rebuild the roadway and bridges. The Tower Grove and Boyle bridges will be torn down when Taylor and Newstead reopen. Tower Grove and Boyle will be closed across I-64 for three months. While Tower Grove and Boyle are closed, the westbound ramp at Boyle will be closed for three weeks. There are also short-term closures of the ramps at Vandeventer during this project.

 

What should I-64 commuters do?
Lanes though the project will be shifted and reduced to 10 feet, which will create congestion during morning and evening rush period. If possible, drivers who use this stretch of I-64 for their commute should consider using alternate routes -- for instance, drivers can use I-44 or I-70 to travel between the city and western St. Louis County. Commuters who live on either side of the project can use Forest Park Parkway and Manchester/Chouteau to avoid congestion. They may also consider checking with their employers on telecommute options or shifting their working hours. Reducing peak hour traffic by 10 percent should help reduce congestion and slow downs through the work zone.

You can view congestion at I-64 and Tower Grove on MoDOT's Gateway Guide. The I-64 and Tower Grove camera is available by selecting it directly from the overview map, or you can select the camera by clicking on the "Select a Camera" dropdown box and selecting the "I-64 @ Tower Grove Ave" camera -- currently the second on the list.

Construction outlook

Here are the current impacts of construction on the I-64/Tower Grove interchange project.

 Information on this chart may not be updated in real time -- for real time traffic conditions, please see MoDOT's Gateway Guide.

Roadway	Impact	Projected change
I-64 eastbound	Open, with three lanes narrowed and shifted	Fall 2013
I-64 westbound	Open, with three lanes narrowed and shifted	Fall 2013
Taylor over I-64	Closed	Open November 2013
Newstead over I-64	Closed	Open November 2013
Tower Grove over I-64	All lanes open	November 2013
Boyle over I-64	All lanes open	November 2013
Westbound I-64 ramp at Boyle	Open	Fall 2013
Vandeventer entrance ramp at  WB I-64	Closed	Reopen fall 2013
Vandeventer exit ramp at EB I-64	Open	Summer 2013

 

Detour maps

Below are detours for the bridge closures and for the weekend interstate closure. The two bridge detour maps include bicycle, pedestrian and vehicle detours:

• Taylor and Newstead closure
• Tower Grove and Boyle closure
• Interstate 64 weekend closure

Why are improvements needed?

This stretch of I-64 is more than 70 years old and needs to be improved to meet current Federal interstate standards. In addition, four bridges in the area, built in the early 1960s, have deteriorated to a point that they need to be replaced.  While this project is underway, MoDOT, BJC HealthCare and Washington University in St. Louis are making improvements to the roadway to help improve the flow of traffic into the medical campus.

This project will include:

• Building new bridges at Taylor, Newstead, Tower Grove and Boyle Avenues

• Constructing a new interchange at Tower Grove/Boyle
• Adding two new ramps at Tower Grove/Boyle to support the existing ramps
• Building a new roundabout south of Tower Grove and I-64
• Installing signals at the westbound entrance and exit ramps at Boyle, and at the intersection of Boyle and Papin
• Realigning and installing signals on Clayton Avenue at Tower Grove and Boyle to coordinate interchange traffic
• Constructing new I-64 pavement between Kingshighway and Newstead and resurfacing I-64 between Newstead and Sarah

What will the project look like?

 

Here are details on the project:

• Project fact sheet
• Overall project (Taylor to Boyle)

Here are some zoomed in displays for various sections of the project:

• Kingshighway to start of project (506 Kb, pdf)
• Taylor Bridge (444 Kb, pdf)
• Newstead and Tower Grove bridges (includes Tower Grove roundabout) (591 Kb, pdf)
• Boyle to Sarah (455 Kb, pdf)
• Improvements at Boyle and Clayton (435 Kb, pdf)

How long will construction take?
Work on I-64 and the new Taylor and Newstead bridges is scheduled to be complete by November 1, 2013.

Tower Grove and Boyle Avenues will be closed for a maximum of 80 days after Taylor and Newstead are complete.  During this time, there will be three-week periods when the westbound ramp to Boyle will be closed.

Throughout the project, there will be short-term closures of the Vandeventer on and off ramps.

All work will be completed by June 1, 2014. 

What is the project cost?
Fred Weber Inc. won the bid for the project at $17.9 Million.

What accommodations are being built for bicycles?

Since Taylor Avenue is part of the Gateway Bike Plan and Tower Grove Avenue is part of the Bike St. Louis Network, both roads will be striped as shared traffic lanes. 

There has been a lot of coordination to determine the best location for the bike route between Forest Park Southeast and the Cortex development. At this time Taylor Ave. provides the safest path across the interstate for the majority of cyclists.

The Gateway Bike Plan, developed in August 2011, provides a long-term vision for providing a connected system of on road bicycle routes between communities, transit, greenways and trails. The plan covers St. Louis County, City of St. Louis, and the urbanized communities of St. Charles County.

The Gateway Bike Plan is a result of a collaborative effort between the Great Rivers Greenway District, Missouri Department of Transportation, East-West Gateway Council of Governments, Metro, numerous municipalities, St. Louis and St. Charles counties, City of St. Louis and Trailnet.

For more details:

• Gateway Bike Plan
• St. Louis City Bike Map
• Bike St. Louis

Interested in updates on the project?

Click here to request to be added to the e-mail update list for the Tower Grove project. People on the list will get regular updates as the project continues and will be e-mailed news releases about the project, as appropriate.

Who Do I Contact For More Information?

• Contact MoDOT Area Engineer Deanna Venker at 1-888 ASK MODOT (275-6636) or e-mail Deanna.Venker@modot.mo.gov
• Contact MoDOT Community Relations Specialist Andrew Gates at 1-888 ASK MODOT (275-6636) or email andrew.gates@modot.mo.gov

• Contact MoDOT Project Manager Jeff Bohler at 1-888 ASK MODOT (275-6636) or e-mail Jeffrey.Bohler@modot.mo.gov