Ask the Road Crew
Ask about holiday travel, construction projects and anything else about your STL area commute. Join the Road Crew's weekly chat on Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 1 p.m. and get expert advice from MoDOT, St. Louis and St. Louis County.
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Last week, 3dw asked about uneven lanes on northbound I-270 between Dorsett and I-70. We have ground those lanes and the hump down, and will be putting down a new surface in that area in a future project that will even out the uneven lanes. Also, Courier asked about some work at Bennington and Route 364. Crews were doing some maintenance on the underground storm culverts in that area. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications -
At I-270 westbound exit 23 (to McDonnell Blvd) a "Do Not Enter" sign was recently placed in the middle exit ramp lane and the previous "One Way" sign pointing to the right (to NB McDonnell) has been bent but still visible. I cannot figure out what the "Do Not Enter" sign is for. It is not logically placed to mean "do not enter" to go straight through to the 270 WB onramp. If the intent is that the middle lane be closed altogether, that is very unclear and honestly not the way to go about it - close the middle lane instead if it's not to be used. -
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Would someone check the timing of the light at Gravois & Eddie and Park? Not sure who has jurisdiction, STL County or the state. It seems like the cars turning left from Eddie and Park are not getting noticed by the sensors or the length of time between turn sequences is off. I've sat at the light waiting to make a left turn with no cars on Gravois for 3-4 minutes.
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Did something change at eastbound 64 and Jefferson during the morning rush specifically around 6:45am?
The light barely lets 4 cars through before turning red.
Traffic is backing up on the highway because the 2 left turn lanes are full. There is a fair amountvof southbound traffic too. They can’t get through because of the back up for cars turning left (north). It’s never been this bad. -
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MoDOT seems to be content with continually kicking the can down the road (pun intended) on traffic congestion and safety in western St. Charles County. Highway N (from Ronald Reagan to Highway Z) has a major problem with congestion and safety. I have seen no improvements with the addition of new traffic signals or lower speed limits. As development continues to push west, adding lanes will become more costly and perhaps impossible to execute. When can we expect a realistic state funded improvement (not Road Board solutions)
Another issue is Interstate 70 from Warrenton to Lake St. Louis.It seems that this stretch of Interstate 70 has 3 or more accidents every single week. There have been multiple fatalities (one this week) and major collisions in this area over the last 10 years. When will the train trestle and Interstate 64 interchange be addressed? Can lanes even be added to Interstate 70 with the Junction and Bluffs developments? It seems this section of the interstate is land locked. -
Missouri as a whole has a lot of roadway and transportation needs, and as of right now, MoDOT can currently maintain the existing state roadway in the condition that it is now, with a little extra for very small updates or improvements to the roadway. We are partnering with St. Charles County on a roadway study for Route N. MoDOT doesn't currently have the funding for any expansion or improvement on I-70. We have studied the area and determined/identified some conceptual improvements, but due to the major railroad line west of Route Z, work to expand the roadway would run upwards of $100 million. We are using the original study to determine if there are ways we can break that big project down into smaller, more manageable projects to be able to make some improvements in the area.
You can see more details on the Route N Study here:
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Within the last year or so Big Bend Road has been modified just east of Berry Road to be one lane in each direction. My question is with respect to eastbound traffic on Big Bend. Rather than eliminate the rightmost lane just past Berry but before Grant Road, why not make that lane a right turn only lane beyond Berry ROad? Doing so would eliminate the jockeying that drivers go through to move from the right lane to the left (through) lane only to get back in the right lane so as to turn on to Grant Road a few hundred feet up the road. It seems like there is enough room to do so and it would certainly improve traffic flow.
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Due to the volume of right-turning traffic from Big Bend onto Grant Road, we plan to change the outside eastbound lane on Big Bend at Grant Road into a right turn lane. Presently, however, the southern curb of Big Bend Boulevard protrudes northward where the right turn lane to Grant Road begins. This results in insufficient pavement width, which prevents us from being able to carry two eastbound lanes past that point, despite the 10-foot median between the westbound left turn lane to Hawkins Court and Grant Road. In order to carry two lanes to Grant Road, the curb, a utility pole, and a drainage structure all need to be relocated - work that will be performed as part of an upcoming project to improve the traffic signal at Berry Road. David Wrone, St. Louis County
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There is a lot going on between traffic at Lindbergh and traffic on I-270 (plus you have to work with two lanes of traffic coming north on I-55). Right now, you have three lanes of interstate ramp traffic merging into two lanes to get onto I-270. At this point, we have no funding identified for any changes such as that along I-270 and I-55. Andrew Gates,. MoDOT Communications.
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Thanks for hosting these weekly chats. Wanted to get the city, county and state's thoughts on the LED lights that are used to replace the burned out bulbs along roadways. It seems to me that they are much brighter than what they replaced. They are a harsh white and and create glare when the roads are wet. Who chose the bulb color and/or brightness? Has a study been done as to if they are effective on the roadway? I am not in favor of the overly bright lights. Thanks for your time!
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Why didn't MoDot infill the depressed lanes downtown after the Stan Span was constructed? Restoring the grid to downtown would have been far more beneficial than the north-south connection. The reality is that MoDot is more concerned with maintainable mileage so that it can expand its budget. Way to serve Missourians.
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Removing the interstate between the Poplar Street Bridge and the Stan Musial VMB was not, and still is not, a regional priority -- primarily because regionally, maintaining two north-south connections in the greater St. Louis area (I-270 and I-70/I-44/I-55) is of greater importance. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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Many times when I drive on the Interbelt between McKnight and Olive, I see a couple having sex on a balcony in one of the apartments. It is disgusting. Can't you guys build a sound wall or something. It happens on my commute at least twice a week, even when it is freezing outside! PLEASE do something.
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MoDOT evaluates roadways for soundwalls when we add lanes or changes a location of a road. We have neither project scheduled for the inner belt at this time. You might consider talking to local law enforcement about your concerns. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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Report it to the railroad:
Railroads' Emergency Phone Numbers
Federal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationUse these phone numbers to report a vehicle stalled or hung up on tracks, or a signal malfunction. Provide the location, crossing number (if posted), and the name of the road or highway that crosses the tracks. And be sure to specify that a vehicle is on the tracks!Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications -
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