The Missouri Department of Transportation has announced plans to start shifting southbound I-55 traffic onto newly constructed median lanes from north of McNutt Street in Herculaneum to north of Central Avenue in Festus beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, May 9, weather permitting.
The traffic shift will tie into the segment of the new median lanes from Central Avenue to south of Hwy. 67, which motorists on southbound I-55 have been using since early March. Southbound I-55 traffic is expected to be fully switched onto the new section of median lanes from McNutt to Central by 7 a.m. Monday, May 12, MoDOT reported.
Moving traffic onto the new median pavement allows for demolition of existing I-55 southbound pavement and the I-55 bridge over McNutt Street, MoDOT said.
The purpose of the overall project is to address traffic and safety concerns along the I-55 corridor and account for future development and growth patterns in the region, according to the MoDOT website.
The new median lanes and demolition of the old pavement and bridge are part of an estimated $246 million I-55 Corridor Improvements project that runs from just north of Pevely south to just south of Festus.
In March 2024, MoDOT had a groundbreaking for the project, which includes constructing a third lane in both directions from Hwy. Z to Hwy. 67; replacing the signalized intersection at Hwy. 67 and Hwy. CC with an interchange that allows free-flowing traffic at of Hwy. 67 under a new Hwy. CC bridge; constructing new interchanges at Hwy. Z in Pevely, McNutt Street in Herculaneum and at Hwy. 67 south of Festus; replacing 14 bridges; rehabilitating 12 bridges and other improvements.
MoDOT awarded the design-build project to the team of KCI Construction Company, Bartlett & West and Wilson & Company.
The project’s targeted completion date is December 2026, the MoDOT website states.
For additional information about current and upcoming detours and project status, visit the I-55 Corridor Improvement project within the modot.org website.
For traffic and travel information, visit MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map at traveler.modot.org/map/.