The Missouri Department of Transportation will close one lane of southbound I-55 south of Hwy. 61 south of Festus around-the-clock for 40 days starting at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday (May 29).
That closure will be like the one in the same area on northbound I-55 that had one lane closed from April 24 through Friday (May 25), MoDOT spokeswoman Jessica Hochlan said.
During the upcoming southbound lane closure, concrete traffic barriers will be up and the open lane will be more narrow.
MoDOT urges drivers who are approaching the closure to continue driving in both lanes and merge just before the closure point. That “zipper merge” method actually makes traffic flow better and decreases merging dangers, Hochlan said.
The lane closures are part of the ongoing MoDOT project to rehab 21 bridges along I-55 from Hwy. Z near Pevely to Plattin Creek south of Festus, a distance of about 8 miles. In addition, I-55 from Hwy. Z to the Ste. Genevieve County line (approximately 16 miles) will be resurfaced and improvements will be made to guard rails and signs. The project began in March 2017 and runs through late 2018.
For more information, visit www.modot.org/stlouis/major_projects/I55Improvements.htm.