JEFFERSON CITY – More than 230 roads remain closed across the state. Interstate 55 closed in the southbound direction at noon between St. Louis and Jefferson counties. The northbound lanes of I-55 are expected to close before evening rush. Interstate 44 remains closed in St. Louis for more than 20 miles. Travelers need to make plans to find alternate routes to travel east and west and now north and south in Missouri. Motorists should check the Traveler Information Map at www.modot.org before traveling.
Interstate 44 is closed from I-270 to Route 100 in St. Louis and Franklin counties but has reopened at Hazelgreen in Laclede County. Travelers headed across Missouri should avoid using I-44. The detour in St. Louis is taking up to two hours to go 30 miles. Please use Interstate 70 between St. Louis and Kansas City and then use Interstate 435 to Interstate 49 to Joplin to reconnect to Interstate 44. All work zones have been suspended on this detour to allow for optimal traffic flow.
The closure of I-55 in St. Louis will make travel difficult between St. Louis and southeast Missouri. The Route 51 Mississippi River Bridge (Chester Bridge) in Perry County is expected to close Thursday at noon. Motorists should consider Interstate 57 at Sikeston across the Mississippi River into Illinois as a cross-state, north-south detour.
The following are some of the major routes closed:
- I-44 in St. Louis/Franklin counties between I-270 and Route 100
- Route 141 at I-44 in St. Louis County
- Route 30/Gravois in St. Louis County at Meramec River
- Route 21/Tesson Ferry in St. Louis County at Meramec River and Route 141 at Route 21.
- Route 109 in Eureka in St. Louis County
- Route 63 near Vienna, between Rolla and Jefferson City
- Route 50 at Mount Sterling in Gasconade County
Most of the major routes are not expected to reopen until late in the week due to rising waters on the major rivers. Updates will be provided to the public as major routes continue to close and open.
Motorists are reminded that not all flooded roads will have closure signs. MoDOT cautions all travelers to never drive through water on the roadway. Turn around and find an alternate route. Flash flooding is particularly dangerous at night or the early morning hours when motorists often cannot see they are driving into floodwaters until it’s too late. Less than a foot of moving water is enough to push a vehicle.
When the water recedes, MoDOT will inspect the pavement and bridges for safety before opening the roadways for public use.
Check MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map to stay current on all flooding closures at http://traveler.modot.org/map/. The map is also available as a free app on iTunes and Google play listed as MoDOT Traveler Information. You can also call 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636) for up-to-date information. ###