The Missouri Department of Transportation soon will have weekend lane closures on I-55 in Jefferson County similar to the closures last year, MoDOT spokeswoman Jessica Hochlan announced Tuesday (March 20).
In addition, the right northbound lane of I-55 south of Festus will close for 20 days starting April 9 for bridge rehabilitation work. Once the 20 days of the right lane closure is complete, crews will close the left lane for 20 days. There will be permanent traffic barriers up during the lane closures with a maximum width of 12 feet allowed in the open lane, Hochlan said.
She advises drivers to use zipper merging during lane closures.
“Please fill up both lanes of traffic and then take turns merging just before the closure point,” Hochlan said. “This will actually make traffic flow better and decrease merging dangers. By using both lanes, you reduce the speed difference between the two lanes and can reduce the length of backups by up to 50 percent.”
The lane closures are part of an ongoing project to rehabilitate 21 bridges along an approximately 8-mile stretch of I-55 from Hwy. Z near Pevely to Plattin Creek just south of Crystal City. In addition, an approximately 16-mile length of I-55 from Hwy. Z to the Ste. Genevieve County line will be resurfaced, Hochlan reported.
The project will run through 2018. For more information, visit http://www.modot.org/stlouis/major_projects/I55Improvements.htm.