ST. LOUIS - Traffic flow one week after the closure of Interstate 64 is flowing at a normal pattern.
"Today was another successful rush hour. In fact, it was the best rush hour this week," said MoDOT Assistant District Engineer Tom Blair. "The travel time on all the interstates from I-270 to downtown is less than 10 minutes. The secondary roads are 20 minutes or more for the same trip. We encourage people to continue to flex their hours, use Metro and carpool and use the interstates as much as possible."
Blair noted MoDOT has hired HDR to conduct a research project on the I-64 closure. The research will study traffic flow, economic impacts and how the public is handling the changes to traffic during construction. The public is encouraged to give its feedback on the project through a survey accessible through the I-64 website (http://www.thenewi64.org/new9_survey.jsp).
Rush Period:
- Time = 5:30 a.m.-9 a.m.
- Volumes peaked from 6:30 - 8:30 a.m.
Summary of Trouble Spots:
- Route 141 at I-44
- Northbound traffic continues to have a 25 % increase in travel time, which is on average 12 minutes longer than before the closure.
- 7-7:30 a.m. peak. If motorists left at 6:30 a.m., they would save 12 minutes of travel time.
- Page
- 7-7:30 a.m. peak, problem spots are southbound I-170 exiting at Page and eastbound Page just east of Lindbergh.
- Olive
- 7-7:30 a.m. peak, problem spots are the exits from I-270.
- Manchester
- Route 141 to Hanley, heaviest peak is 7-7:30 a.m. If motorists left at 6:30 a.m., they would save 12 minutes or at 6 a.m. they would save 18 minutes of travel time.
- Clayton at Lindbergh worked very well today due to signal timing changes.
- I-64 and I-270 exit to Ballas worked better today due to signal timing changes.
Incident Report:
· A few minor incidents occurred today:
o Three incidents on eastbound I-44 east of Pacific
o Northbound I- 270 south of I-64
Metro information:
- The Chesterfield Mall Park and Ride lot still has space available. The Chesterfield bus is gaining popularity with students who attend school along I-64.
- The #410X Eureka Express serving southwest county to downtown major employers is also gaining popularity
For more information on the I-64 project, visit http://www.thenewi64.org/, and for real-time traffic information, visit http://www.gatewayguide.com/.
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