I-44 Included in I-270 Expansion Project

Residents turned out to Monday evening for a public meeting to learn more about an $11.6 million construction project that will widen Interstate 270 in an effort to relieve congestion at a St. Louis County traffic hotspot.

The project, headed by (MoDOT), will narrow existing lanes from 12 to 11 feet to add an additional northbound through-lane between Interstate 44 and Manchester Road and an additional southbound through-lane between Dougherty Ferry Road and Interstate 44. Contractors can begin work on the project in April and the project must end by December 2013.

The segment of highway carries 160,000 vehicles per day, according to Project Manager Thomas Evers with MoDOT.

“The basic need for the project is that we have backups during every morning and afternoon rush hours,” he said. “That traffic is not going to decrease in time, so we need to stay proactive and work on widening the road.”

Evers said the project particularly would help traffic at the Interstate 44 and Interstate 270 interchange by extending the merge lane onto Interstate 270 northbound to Manchester Road.

“Today, those ramps back up quite a bit,” Evers said. “That lane can stay through all the way to Manchester. (Drivers) will not have to merge over a couple hundred feet after they get onto I-270. That really helps that movement because otherwise, when they have to merge over and basically force their way in and that creates a chain reaction of starting a backup.”

A MoDOT traffic study determined the project would increase capacity by 15 percent southbound during evening peak hours and 18 percent northbound during morning peak hours. Speed on the stretch of interstate both ways is expected to increase from about 30 miles per hour to about 60 miles per hour, with a 120 second reduction of delay going both ways.

Commuters can expect little impact during morning and rush hour commutes during construction, according to Evers. He said that lane closures will be needed but that they will be done during non-peak hours, most-likely at night.

MoDOT will continue a virtual public meeting about the widening of Interstate 270. They can leave comments about the project until Feb. 15. Maps of construction plans can be found on MoDOT’s website.