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Pondering local road and highway construction? Ask the Road Crew, 1 p.m.

Ask the experts from the Missouri Department of Transportation, St. Louis and St. Charles counties and St. Louis City your questions about highways and roads. The live chat starts at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

3rd & 7 37yd

The green light is flickering on the traffic signal head at McCausland and Plateau. As you’re going north on McCausland crossing Plateau.

by Don 9/22/2021 4:48:41 PM
our crews will check it out - thanks

by Street Department 9/22/2021 4:48:42 PM
Is there an estimate for when the tall overhead lights along I 55 / 64 on the IL side of the river will be fixed / back on? I know there's work underway for the eastbound lanes within this "spaghetti junction", but driving west at night, especially with rain, makes it almost impossible to see where the lanes should be without the lights on since the prior paint is almost completely worn off. Some fresh striping would also go a long way on the westbound lanes. Thanks!

by IL Commuter 9/22/2021 4:50:32 PM
Unfortunately, Illinois DOT does not participate in the chat room, so you would need to reach out to them. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications

by Andrew Gates, MoDOT 9/22/2021 4:50:33 PM
I know that Interstate Dr in Wentzville from Quail Ridge to prospect is set to be redone in the future, however, is there plans to do some type of patchwork before the major upgrade? This stretch is in serious need of immediate work. Thanks

by Brian 9/22/2021 5:19:03 PM
Although the county does have a project set for the future, we do plan to continue patching the roadway to keep it together until the county starts their work. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications

by Andrew Gates, MoDOT 9/22/2021 5:19:04 PM
What was the thinking behind Great Rivers Greenway being forced/allowed to do a bridge for the new trail across Bayless, near I-55, but not requiring them to construct a bridge across Watson/MO 366, in Crestwood? It appears that Watson, as a state highway, carries more traffic than Bayless. Or, to approach things from a different direction, what will it take to convince/require GRG to install a pedestrian bridge across Watson? Especially in nicer weather, an inordinate amount of signal time, at that intersection, seems dedicated to pedestrian movements, simply due to the width of the crossing (much like at Bayless?)!

by Jimmy Z 9/22/2021 5:36:54 PM
Projects such as the Grant's Trail project take a lot of coordination and decisions -- including how to use the existing topography, and available funding. I believe that Bayless at the trail crossing is somewhat below the level of the surrounding ground, so running the structure over the existing lanes may have been more beneficial to the users than a hill area and a crossing at ground level. Like MoDOT, GRG has a limited amount of funding and a ton of priority projects they are working on, so they are always looking for ways to practically design much of the work they do. MoDOT does have a construction project along Watson in a couple of years, so Crestwood might be willing to partner with the department on a trail crossing in this area that meets the various federal requirements. You might want to start by reaching out to them and sharing your concerns -- I'll certainly pass this along to our team working on the Watson project. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications

by Andrew Gates, MoDOT 9/22/2021 5:36:54 PM
On EB 270, in north county, in the construction zone, the first sign for the 367 exit has the yellow "EXIT ONLY" portion covered up - goo.gl - presumably because, at some point, both NB & SB exiting traffic needed to be in the right lane. The situation, now, is that the right lane is now striped for SB only traffic, at the gore point, so the confusing signage results in some unnecessary last-minute lane changing.

by Jimmy Z 9/22/2021 5:44:28 PM
I've asked our I-270 North construction team to check out your observations and see what they can do. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications

by Andrew Gates, MoDOT 9/22/2021 5:44:29 PM
Am curious as to the timeline on the retaining wall project on southbound Laclede Station Rd just south of Laclede Groves? I have not seen activity there for about 3 weeks when I pass by there in the late afternoon. I know underground utility work was done and storm drain work. Thanks for the update.

by Don 9/22/2021 5:48:57 PM
Hi there - Thanks for continually answering questions in this very useful forum.

For StL County - southbound laclede station has had a lane closed for quite a few months for what appears to be a small, simple retaining wall next to the sidewalk. It's a very dangerous intersection, particularly when the senior center nearby lets out. And also for pedestrians whose sidewalk access has been cut off. For how long is whatever permit they have good? It seems like they could continue work without closing a lane.

by Tony 9/22/2021 5:49:00 PM
We hope to have that closed lane opened sometime today (September 22). Our contractor had to stop work after learning that a utility line is buried at or near the retaining wall. We're currently working to resolve that problem. In the meantime, we're going to reopen the closed lane. David Wrone, St. Louis County's Department of Transportation

by dwrone 9/22/2021 5:49:02 PM
Road noise is really loud and bad for mental health. Have you all ever used or looked into using quiet road surfaces on roads near a lot of people?
"Quiet asphalt pavement options fall into four general categories. These are fine-graded surfaces, open-graded friction courses, rubberized asphalt and stone-matrix asphalt."

by Richard 9/22/2021 5:52:50 PM
We have used quiet pavement in some locations (most noteably along a section of Clarkson Road) -- we found that the quieting properties didn't tend to last as long as one might like. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications

by Andrew Gates, MoDOT 9/22/2021 5:52:51 PM
Last week I mentioned there was a red light not working at the intersection of Olive and Ferguson. It got taken care of the same day. My question is that it used to be a solid red and now it’s a red arrow pointing up. Why the change? Doesn’t look right.

by Don 9/22/2021 5:59:31 PM
The red arrow gives more information and is more intuitive than the simple red ball and updates the signal to meet the current standards/requirements set forth in the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications

by Andrew Gates, MoDOT 9/22/2021 5:59:31 PM
The streets of the St. Louis area are one bump after another. Why are the people who open the streets to do repairs not made to put the street back in good condition? Instead they mostly do a “quick and dirty fix”. The holes quickly subside or break up.

by Tom 9/22/2021 6:07:38 PM
Without some specifics, it's hard to address your concern -- however, generally speaking, many of the repairs for utility work due to permit work are temporary -- to get the road back open and back in operation. For some repairs, such as water, the utility company wants to make sure that the repair holds and that another repair isn't needed once the lines get up to pressure (for instance, another weak area near the original break). Also there are different materials needed for a temporary and more permanent patch -- so, often the utility company has to go through the process to award a contract for those repairs. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communication

by Andrew Gates, MoDOT 9/22/2021 6:07:39 PM
Do you have any recommendations on who at IDOT to reach out to other than their generic "contact us" form?

by IL Commuter 9/22/2021 6:18:47 PM
You might reach out to them on Twitter: IDOT District 8 (@IDOTDistrict8) / Twitter.You can also call them at (618)346-3100. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communictions

by Andrew Gates, MoDOT 9/22/2021 6:18:48 PM
Westbound 64's exit to Mason has overhead lane diagram signs, the right most missing information letting drivers know they can go straight, if you could investigate.

by DivideByZero 9/22/2021 6:20:24 PM
I've shared your observation with our traffic experts for the area, Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications

by Andrew Gates, MoDOT 9/22/2021 6:20:24 PM
There is a deep hole in 7th St at Locust. Fix needs more than asphalt.

by DOWNTOWN RESIDENT 9/22/2021 6:21:43 PM
okay, we will scope it out

by Street Department 9/22/2021 6:21:44 PM
Please paint bicycle logos on Locust st downtown so autos don't drive in the bike lane

by DOWNTOWN RESIDENT 9/22/2021 6:22:26 PM
we will revisit the logos on locust bike lane

by Street Department 9/22/2021 6:22:26 PM
for the City: On Saturday about 130pm, travelling NB on Vandeventer at the Shaw signal, I noticed the green ball is out over the left hand lane. The left turn arow is functioning.

by jim 9/22/2021 6:23:04 PM
thanks for the note about vandeventer and shaw - we will look at the green indication

by Street Department 9/22/2021 6:23:04 PM
Question about the Heege Road work.
Why is the official detour on Weber and not Watson? It goes right by Mesnier school, which is already very busy at drop off and pick up times. Plus Watson is a faster, wider road.
Two days ago, Mesnier employee was directing traffic at Valcour and Weber and stopping Weber, even though there is a four way stop there. He kept allowing traffic to go south, which blocked the eastbound view of northbound traffic (not sure who, other than the school, to talk to about that).
It just doesn't seem like a safe nor efficient route for a detour of a major artery. Wanted to hear your thoughts, thanks!

by DivideByZero 9/22/2021 6:24:04 PM
I'll check with our Division of Construction and post a reply to your query in a future Road Crew. David Wrone, St. Louis County's Department of Transportation

by dwrone 9/22/2021 6:24:05 PM
When is the bridge on Aubuchon Road in Hazelwood going to be fixed? It's been 4 months and traffic on the alternate routes at rush hour is terrible.

by Barbara 9/22/2021 6:30:41 PM
Aubuchon Road bridge could remain closed as long as next summer. The structure is badly decayed and must be replaced. However, before work can begin, we must abide by permitting regulations that pertain to construction projects located in floodplains. Some of these regulations are required by agencies outside our jurisdiction, and can take a considerable amount of time. David Wrone, St. Louis County's Department of Transportation

by dwrone 9/22/2021 6:30:44 PM
Mr. Gates, please don't be afraid to admit that there could be a mistake made. Your Standards clearly state that a red straight arrow is not allowed:
epg.modot.org

According those MoDOT Standards, only a ball red or left red arrow is allowed. An up red arrow is never allowed. To answer "standards!" when you don't know instead of saying "hey, you may be right - we'll check on that" (like your County counterpart does when he is not sure) does a great dis-service to the person who took the time to make you aware of the problem.

by Multiply by Infinity 9/22/2021 6:41:31 PM
Thanks for sharing your thoughts -- I will certainly pass this along to our traffic experts to take a look at it to make sure that if it isn't correct, it gets fixed.,. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communciations

by Andrew Gates, MoDOT 9/22/2021 6:41:33 PM