Beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1, southbound I-55 traffic will be shifted to newly constructed median pavement from south of Route Z to north of McNutt Street, the Missouri Department of Transportation announced.
All work and scheduled openings of the project are weather permitting.
The shift will tie into the section from McNutt Street to south of Hwy. 67, where southbound I-55 traffic is currently using the median pavement.
Southbound I-55 traffic will be fully switched to the new median by 7 a.m. Monday, Aug. 4.
Moving traffic onto the new median pavement allows for demolition of the existing southbound I-55 pavement and the southbound I-55 bridges over Herky Horine Road and Joachim Creek, MoDOT reported.
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/