ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A traffic alert for drivers who frequent I-255 and the JB Bridge. MoDOT is making an emergency change to road work, moving it up to Wednesday morning.
For those behind the wheel, you’ve felt the road giving in beneath you.
“A lot of potholes – 255 is just pretty bad, and then we just get over to the bridge, construction is a little inconvenient,” Belleville, Illinois local Elizabeth Kelley said.
The Missouri Department of Transportation is pushing up construction scheduled on Saturday now to Wednesday morning.
“I go across it. I feel my hole car shutter. It’s awful on my car,” Illinois local Ashleigh Vallerly explained. “It doesn’t feel like they’re fixing it much right now, just making it worse.”
Crews will close one right lane on eastbound I-255 on the Jefferson Barracks Bridge starting at 3:00 a.m. MoDOT says the lane is expected to reopen once the concrete reaches the appropriate strength – sometime around 1 p.m.
“This emergency roadwork means only one eastbound lane will be open to traffic, adding to ongoing construction here on both sides of the bridge,” FOX 2’s Stephanie Rothman shared.
The roadwork is supposed to fix uneven lanes cracked and worn down overtime. MoDOT made it clear the lanes’ deterioration is a priority that couldn’t wait any longer. They advise drivers to be patient with one lane as they continue to revitalize the roads for those in both Missouri and Illinois.
The next step of the project will start later spring, when westbound lanes will close to be worked on, shifting traffic to the eastbound bridge. Two lanes of traffic will be open in each direction through the year.
Construction is planned to be finished come this fall.
