What is the current situation?

MoDOT needs to complete significant maintenance on the Interstate 64 bridges over Vandeventer Avenue in the city of St. Louis to ensure they remain safe and operational for the future.  The eastbound interstate bridge was built in 1956. Since it is almost 80 years old, it needs to be replaced. The westbound interstate bridge was built in 1982 and needs significant rehabilitation.

As a part of this bridge work, the department is looking at options to add improvements identified by the people who live, work, play and commute through the area. This opportunity is similar to what happened further west on Interstate 64 between Kingshighway and Spoede, although this is a more involved process.

How have we gotten to this point?

Several years ago, MoDOT and its partners started a study in the I-64 central corridor called “Future64: Community. Transportation. Together.”  This study looked at I-64 from Jefferson Avenue to Kingshighway, where the “New I-64 project” ended in 2009 and looked further north and south to ensure that the interstate integrated with the plans and visions for the area from the community. 

During the study, the department gathered information from businesses, residents and commuters about what transportation improvements might be support community visions and needs into the future. After an extensive effort to gather insight from surveys, pop-up meetings and two public meetings, the department and its partners shared three options for the corridor.

With the completion of the Future64 study, the department moved into determining the recommended concept. That concept takes elements from the three options that the community and other area stakeholders liked and creates one recommended concept for the corridor. Engineers evaluated the concept to verify that it can be built, that it meets current roadway standards and that it best supports the vision of the community.

What we’ve heard: 

During the outreach, the biggest concerns included needing to add more opportunities to travel across the interstate and reconnect communities; improving access to area destinations for the public who bike, walk or use transit; and designing the corridor to be safer for all forms of transportation.

How you can help:

Insight from the community continues to be an important element is determining and evaluating possible options. As a result, this study engaged the public to ensure a wide range of voices are heard and that equity is a key part of the recommended concept. By sharing your thoughts during this meeting, you can help drive the next steps of making the recommended concept a reality. The information shared by the stakeholders, residents and other users of the corridor will help determine which portions of the concept should be funded first and how soon they should be built.

What impacts will the I-64 bridge work over Vandeventer have?

The traffic impacts of the bridge work are being investigated now. To replace the eastbound bridge, it will have to be closed between Clayton Avenue and just east of Vandeventer for up to 18 months. Traffic experts are currently evaluating if traffic will be moved to the westbound bridge, or if traffic will use the city grid to detour around the closure.  Both options have benefits and drawbacks.

The eastbound bridge will need to be removed as a part of the work. Crews will close sections of Clayton Avenue and Vandeventer during demolition work and during reconstruction work when concrete or other material is being placed directly above the street.  Typically, this work will be at night. In addition, there may be work at night that directly impacts the MetroLink lines.  MoDOT will be coordinating with Metro for any work and will work with the contractor to avoid work over MetroLink lines while the trains are running.