The Missouri Department of Transportation announced today, June 4, that crews will close one lane of southbound I-55 in the Festus area, along with the Hwy. A southbound exit ramp in Festus, for several hours starting Friday night, June 6, for bridge work.
The closures and work are scheduled for 10 p.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday, weather permitting. During the closure, crews will set girders for the new bridge over Central Avenue, MoDOT said in a written statement.
A signed detour will direct southbound I-55 drivers who want to access Hwy. A to take the McNutt Street exit in Herculaneum, and then proceed east to south on Hwy. 61-67 to west on Hwy. A (Veterans Boulevard) or to take the Hwy. 67 interchange to north on Hwy. 61-67 to west on Hwy. A.
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.
The purpose of that 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.
In March 2024, MoDOT had a groundbreaking for the I-55 project that includes constructing a third lane in both directions from near Hwy. Z in the Pevely area to Hwy. 67 south of Festus; 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 & Co.
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/.