The Missouri Department of Transportation is scheduled to close the right northbound lane on I-55 at Hwy. Z in Pevely the weekend of April 15-18, weather permitting, for repair work on the bridge, said Judy Wagner, area engineer for MoDOT.
Wagner said MoDOT wants to get the word out about the best way to merge during the closure in an effort to prevent traffic accidents.
During the lane closure, drivers are urged to use both lanes all the way up to the closure and then merge together at that point, “in zipper-like fashion,” with vehicles taking turns getting into the open lane, Wagner said.
She said it’s much safer to merge that way, rather than drivers trying to get over early, which can lead to accidents.
Also, she urges drivers not to speed past the vehicles stacking up in the closed lane in an effort to get ahead of the others because that, too, can cause accidents.
While the lane is closed, construction crews will remove the surface on the right side of the bridge, make any needed repairs and then put on new overlay, Wagner said.
When that work is complete, crews will repair the other side, which will require another lane closure, she said.
The bridge repairs are part of MoDOT’s larger project to add a third lane on northbound I-55 from Hwy. Z to Barnhart, where there already are three lanes.
The extension of that third lane will be almost a mile long.
Last month, crews began work in the area, and the on ramp from Hwy. Z to northbound I-55 has been closed since then. Also, the two northbound lanes on I-55 around Hwy. Z are narrowed. As a result, there have been traffic delays.
The entire project is scheduled to be finished by August, Wagner said.
A $2,776,841 contract was awarded to Millstone Weber of St. Charles for the construction project, Wagner said.
For more information about the project or to learn about “zipper merges,” go to www.modot.org/stlouis/major_projects/I-55LaneAddition.htm.