Ask the Road Crew
Spring in STL means it's time to fire up the pothole repairs and get ready for construction slowdowns. Ask our Road Crew all your questions about getting around with experts from MoDOT, St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County to get you answers. Join the chat on Wednesday, March 27, at 1 p.m.
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MoDOT doesn’t currently have enough funding for any improvements around I-70. However, that location has been studied and conceptual improvement concepts have been identified, but because of the major railroad line just west of Route Z the expansion would really be a major highway realignment which could cost upwards of $100 million plus. We are using that original study to try and whittle away at a possibly smaller project to hopefully arrive at a more manageable project size to make some sort of improvements in that stretch. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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I wrote a few weeks ago and my comment concerned the new normal of heavy trucks hanging out in the passing lane on nearly all 4 lane roads in the area. I recognize this isn’t your issue but wanted to get this issue out in the public discussion. It seems that these trucks drivers have decided to ignore the general understanding that “its a passing lane not a cruising lane.” This is an everyday occurrence on all of the roads in the area and it’s time that law enforcement step it up and start citing the drivers for impeding the flow of traffic. Perhaps someone with authority will read this post and do something to stop this abuse of our roadways. Thanks for listening and offering a forum to raise issues effecting everyday driving in the metropolitan area.
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You don't mention here if you are talking about those interstates that are two lanes in each direction, or major arterial routes. Although you are correct that the left lane should primarily be for passing and not hanging out, we do have a lot of arterials where drivers might have to get over into the left lane to make a left turn. In the region, we also have a lot of drivers -- four wheel and multi-wheel -- who habitually get into the lane they need very early, when they are turning a mile or two down the road. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and, perhaps, some of the other viewers will have additional insights. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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Weather pending, the work on 4th Street immediately north of Pine will be completed before Opening Day. The work on Pine just west of 4th Street will be completed by end of this week. Regardless, we'll be tidying up work zones with the festivities of Opening Day going on nearby. -
What is with the graffiti on the southside of the new bridge over Vandeventer on I 44?
Will it be removed when the construction is finished?
If not, why not have an art competition to finish the graffiti? That section of Vandeventer heading north is toward The Grove and the new Foundry area. Both are art/entertainment districts. -
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You need to take another look at southbound 141 where you have an East 44 only right lane exit even though there is enough roadway to continue that lane to the west bound 44 exit. Traffic backs up every dinner rush as people don’t realize - or perhaps they do - that east bound only lane does not continue through to the west bound exit. Seems like an easy fix. Please look at it
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Hello. I tend to travel south on Sulfer from Hampton to head east on Manchester. When a train goes by on the Union Pacific tracks that are SOUTH of Manchester, the signal at Manchester and Sulfer won’t cycle for Sulfer traffic. I get that you don’t want through traffic blocking the intersection but how often will that occur? I can count with one hand how many vehicles I’ve seen continue on south on Sulfer over the past decade. I’ve asked for improvements to this intersection in the past and you respond that there’s no money... but you’ve got plenty of money for interstate highways! Is there anything that you can implement a solution to moving traffic on Sulfer when a train goes by on tracks that won’t affect 99% of the traffic?
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I've asked our traffic team to look at it, but it looks like you would have to do some significant intersection and signal adjustments to give traffic turning east from southbound Sulpher a signal during the short periods that the railroad crossing bar is down. As a note, all of the work that we are doing on interstates is taking care of the existing system so that it remains safe and operational. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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Even with the lower speed limit, drivers are still likely driving in excess of the posted speed. The intent of the warning flashers is to advise drivers of the upcoming traffic signal change and to begin slowing down. We'll verify the timing between the flasher and the traffic signal but need to be careful to have it set correctly to provide the proper amount of warning for people traveling the posted speed -- and it won't curb aggressive driving. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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On hwy 30 in sunset hills coming up the hill to i270, there are yellow flashing lights warning of the light change at the traffic light at the bottom of the hill. Since the speed limit changed to 50 from 60 people the timing is off. They are now set such that people now speed up to make the light instead of slowing down.
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Is there something you can do in order to prevent the “me first” clowns from speeding down the far left lane of southbound 141 in order to cut people off to jump onto eastbound 44? I for one am tired of dealing with it every other morning. I had some idiot almost run me off the road this morning because their need to pass cars apparently superceded everyone else’s needs to have a safe drive on the roadways. I’m sick of it.
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Aggressive driving can be a bit frustrating, and it happens all around the area. There is not a lot that can be done in this area since the Elam intersection is so close to the ramp from I-44, but we are looking at some options after we go through our resurfacing and striping project this year. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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The question (accidentally deleted) was why does Missouri duplicate lettered route names (with some duplications in adjacent counties.) Answer: Some of it comes from the original designations when the department assumed maintenance responsibilities for the roadway; some of it comes from the type of roadway. And it's a limitation of using the alphabet to identify roadways; numbered roadways have to meet certain criteria as do double-lettered routes. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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44 East bound entering the construction zone around kingshighway where the lane width gets reduced is a nightmare when the sun is out. There are so many old and new lines which all look the same in the glare. Is it possible to literally x out the old lines or make the black paint over them twice as wide so it is obvious as to which lanes are to be followed? The black paint only over where the white paint was looks the same in the glare.
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I'll pass it along to our construction team to see what they can do. There's probably not much they can do for the few hours in the morning that this tends to be an issue -- even crossing out the lines or painting over them larger would create the same problems. That's one of the reasons that we will finish up the job with a resurfacing in the spring to cover up the lines and have a fresh surface for the final striping. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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I have noticed on several occasions, with the construction congestion on I-44 westbound in the area of the Meramec River Bridge work, that larger trucks, tractor trailers are getting into the far left lane, and riding there until they pass the sign near Maritz that says that is illegal, at which time they move back to the center lane, and I was wondering if another sign could be posted westbound just before the Meramec River Bridge to alert them that they are not supposed to be in the far left lane.
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I've shared this with our construction team, but due to the expected construction and lane shifts due to construction there may be little they can do with new signing in that area. In addition, there is some wording in the law that allows trucks to use the far left lane if there is construction in the area or if there is a crash blocking lanes -- it's hard to put all that info on a sign. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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Why does the southbound left turn signal on Berry Rd to eastbound 44 go solid red? It seems like it can be on flashing yellow all the time. It's frustrating to stop on red for little or no northbound traffic, especially when the queue backs up to the other ramp signal.
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Most recently, at Noon on Sat., 3/23/19, I observed a large FULL black plastic lawn & leaf bag affixed to the chain link fence at the on-ramp to I-270 East at Old Halls Ferry Rd. Same or similar bag observed there at various times over the past several MONTHS.
As of Sat., 3/23/19, a weathered blue plastic bucket was also near the bag.
Whose responsibility is it to police & remove this debris? -
Often times if something falls off a vehicle, our emergency response or maintenance team moves it to the side of the road so the original owner can get it if they so desire. However, if it is a hazard to the traveling public or stays there for awhile, we will remove it. During the winter, our primary concern is keeping the roads cleared and treated; once spring starts, we dedicate most of our early spring efforts to pothole patching and roadway repair. After that slows down, we start working toward removing trash and other debris from the roadside. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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Crews have started preliminary preparations for the repairs and remaining construction on the eastbound I-44 bridge near Shrewsbury We expect that work to be complete by about mid-summer and we will be able to move traffic back to the eastbound bridge. Between now and then, the contractor team will be designing the repairs needed for the westbound side of the road -- we'll share info on that when those have been determined, as they will determine impact and length of time for the westbound work. Most likely, Shrewsbury to eastbound I-44 will not reopen until both sides have been repaired, but that may depend on what is determined for the westbound side. Once both sides have been completed, we will need to do a final layer of asphalt in the area so we have a clean driving surface for the final lane lines. Andrew Gates, MODOT Communications
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The design for the repairs should be complete and reviewed by the end of the month. This was a very complex issue that required a thorough study with fairly complex software (that looked at a three-dimensional model over time) to determine the specific issues. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications