MoDOT to shift southbound I-55 traffic back onto southbound lanes this week

ST. LOUIS - Residents who use I-55 between Virginia and River Des Peres will get a little relief next weekend, as MoDOT will shift southbound Interstate 55 traffic back onto the southbound lanes. This will open up many of the ramps between city streets and the southbound interstate.

Crews will start by closing one southbound lane for restriping on Thursday, April 9 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., weather permitting. They will again close one lane for shifting traffic on Thursday, April 9, starting at 9 p.m. By 2 p.m. Friday, April 10, three lanes will be open on southbound I-55, as well as the ramps from Virginia to southbound I-55 and the ramps from southbound I-55 to Loughborough and Gasconade.

Once three southbound lanes are open, drivers can expect:

• The ramp from Loughborough to southbound I-55 may remain closed for up to a week due to some wrap-up work on the Union Pacific Railroad bridge just to the south.
• The left lane on southbound, two lanes on northbound I-55 and the ramp from Truman to southbound I-55 will remain closed for now. They will re-open once the crossover area has been repaired and the barrier wall has been removed from the northbound lanes in a few weeks.

This work is part of a $63 million project to rehabilitate 13 pairs of bridges along I-55 in the city of St. Louis. KCI was awarded the project as prime contractor in spring 2022. Portions of the work on northbound I-55 were put on hold after a subcontractor damaged girders on the northbound bridge over the Union Pacific railroad tracks near Loughborough in October 2023. New girders had to be designed, ordered and installed and then the original rehabilitation had to be completed before traffic could move back on those lanes. The prime contractor continues to be responsible for all additional costs due to the damaged girders.

Resurfacing I-55 between I-44 and Lindbergh will continue when weather permits. Crews will focus first on the areas where the pavement needs more immediate attention. As part of this work, crews will connect the northbound ramp from Gasconade and the exit to Potomac. During this work, the ramp from Gasconade will be closed and is expected to open again in early May. The rest of the resurfacing work continues with mostly overnight or weekend lane closures and will be complete in early summer 2026.

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