Drivers on I-55 south of Festus will need to be alert for lane and ramp closures coming up in mid-July while Missouri Department of Transportation crews make improvements to the cloverleaf intersection at I-55 and Hwy. 67.
Beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, July 13, northbound I-55 will be narrowed to a single lane on the I-55 bridge over Hwy. 67. Crews also will close the two curved ramps on the east side of the intersection – one from northbound I-55 onto southbound Hwy. 67, and the other from northbound Hwy. 67 onto northbound I-55.
The ramps and lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday, July 23.
MoDOT crews will then repeat the procedure on the other side.
Beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, July 27, southbound I-55 will narrow to a single lane and the remaining two cloverleaf ramps will be closed – one from southbound I-55 onto northbound Hwy. 67, and the other from southbound Hwy. 67 onto southbound I-55.
Those lanes and ramps will reopen by 2 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 6.
The closures are part of an ongoing project to rehab 21 bridges along an 8-mile stretch of I-55 from Hwy. Z near Pevely to Plattin Creek just south of Crystal City. The project also calls for the resurfacing of a 16-mile stretch of I-55 from Hwy. Z to the Ste. Genevieve County line, as well as guardrail and sign improvements. The project is scheduled for completion in late 2018.
The project originally called for a series of weekend-only closures.
“It would have taken eight to 10 weeks to do it that way,” MoDOT area engineer Judy Wagner said. “Allowing them to do it in nine days straight means it will be done in a much shorter period of time.
“Anytime we can reduce our exposure on the interstate, we improve safety for the motorists and the workers.”