ST. LOUIS – This weekend’s lane closures on Interstate 55 in Jefferson County have been postponed. The work has been rescheduled for the weekend of March 24. Crews will now close one lane of northbound I-55 at Route Z from Friday, March 24 at 5 p.m. until Monday, March 27 at 5 a.m.
During the weekend lane closure, the exit from northbound I-55 to Route Z will also be closed. Drivers can detour around the exit closure by taking northbound I-55 to Route M to southbound I-55 and back to Route Z.
In addition, there will be overnight lane closures Monday, March 20 through Thursday, March 23 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
This is the first in a series of overnight and weekend lane closures that are necessary so crews can rehab 21 bridges over I-55 from Route Z near Pevely to Plattin Creek just south of Crystal City (approximately 8 miles). In addition, I-55 from Route Z to the Ste. Genevieve County line (approximately 16 miles) will be resurfaced and guardrail and sign improvements will be made.
MoDOT will use the zipper merge technique whenever there are lane closures. Research shows merging dangers decrease and traffic moves more smoothly when motorists use both lanes until reaching the defined merge area and then alternate merging every other vehicle in "zipper" fashion into the open lane. Motorists should watch for signs instructing motorists to resist the urge to merge and do the “zipper” merge where the lane closure occurs.
The project will run through late 2018. For the latest on where each closure will be, go to http://www.modot.org/stlouis/major_projects/I55Improvements.htm.
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