Traffic on southbound U.S. Route 63 over the Bonne Femme Creek south of Discovery Parkway will be reduced to one lane beginning at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1 to allow for substructure repairs underneath the southbound bridge.
Southbound traffic will be down to a single lane until mid-June. Southbound motorists should expect significant impacts while the bridge is down to one lane. Traffic modeling indicates that during peak travel times, delays will routinely reach 30 minutes or more, with times where backups could be closer to two hours.
The contractor will begin work under the driving lane first. Concrete barriers will be installed across the bridge to divert all southbound traffic into the passing lane until repairs underneath are completed. Then the concrete traffic barrier will be reconfigured to place traffic in the driving lane. Any additional work requiring lane closures when the barrier is not in place will take place during the overnight hours.
The southbound j-turn just north of the bridge will remain open during the work. The access from Tom Bass Road (Route 63 South Outer Road) to Route 63 south will be closed during the work due to its proximity to the work zone.
In addition to the bridge work, a new acceleration lane will be constructed to increase safety for motorists accessing southbound Route 63 from the outer road.
The entire project is scheduled to be completed in early July.
“Fortunately, the needed repairs can be completed without totally closing the bridge and rerouting traffic,” said Missouri Department of Transportation Resident Engineer Aaron Peck. “This allows us to limit the impact to southbound traffic only, as opposed to shifting all traffic to the northbound bridge. We hope these repairs will keep the structure in service for many years to come.”
Drivers can help make travel through the area flow better. First, they can use the zipper merge concept to travel through the work zone. When traffic is slowed or stopped, the zipper merge encourages motorists to use both lanes of traffic until they reach the point where the road is closed, then take turns with other drivers to safely and smoothly ease into the remaining lane.
If drivers are involved in a minor incident, they need to Steer It and Clear It, meaning they need to move their vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway or to another safe spot out of the way. MoDOT is also encouraging drivers to use alternate routes or to alternate their travel schedules to avoid the area during peak driving times.
Message boards and signs will direct traffic through the work zone. In addition, a Smart Work Zone system is in place to keep motorists informed and traffic moving. The system uses cameras and sensors to provide real-time travel updates to motorists via message boards when backups occur.
Other travel tools available to help drivers include:
- Traveler Information Map - located at modot.org, the map provides current traffic conditions. Vehicle crashes and other incidents are noted on the map, which will inform drivers that the road is closed, to expect delays or that delays are possible. The map also shows real-time traffic flow.
- 24-hour toll-free number – MoDOT’s toll-free number – 888-275-6636 – is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. Callers can speak with a customer service representative to get the latest traffic information.
For more information about this project or other transportation-related matters, please call 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636), visit www.modot.org/central, or follow the Central District Facebook page at facebook.com/MoDOTCentralMissouriDistrict.
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