Questions about street lights or highway construction? Ask the Road Crew, 1 p.m.

Questions about street lights or 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.

  • Last week, we had a chatter ask: "There are many safety concerns associated with work ongoing on 270. There is no pedestrian access on any of the overpass construction and people have to walk through and a construction zone to get to either side of 270, specifically on florissant road. Also many of the sidewalks have been removed at interchanges there is no pedestrian access. People are walking in traffic to get to the schnucks at grandview plaza. There seems to be some major ADA violations accessibility during construction. Dunn road is not adequately striped on the turn lanes at Washington/Elizabeth. There is not adequate lighting on the highway and the outer roads. I could go on and on with the safety concerns. Does MODOT perform and QA on contractor requirements and are the contractors following the approved safety plan?". Answer: There are a lot of moving parts on this project as various pieces get constructed, and often pedestrians and drivers are required to use detour routes to get to areas they may have had a direct route to during this construction. The I-270 North project is in the process of installing ten miles of new shared use path along the corridor. When complete this summer, that shared use path will connect Dunn and Pershall at interchange bridges replaced within the project corridor. This will provide ADA accessibility that previously did not exist throughout much of the corridor. This is just one of the many safety upgrades within the project that accommodates all users. Several other final project elements will be installed in the coming months including permanent pavement markings, signing, and lighting throughout the corridor. MoDOT inspects the site daily to ensure that contract requirements are being met. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
  • Under the I-55/7th St interchange it's quite the mess of potholes. Not sure if it's the City or MoDOT. The biggest potholes are where the concrete under the bridge transitions to asphalt. Also, the on-ramp to southbound 55 has a lot of potholes especially near the bottom where traffic turns onto it from southbound 7th.
  • We can certainly have our team take a look at this area, and pass along any potholes in the city's right of way along to them.  Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
  • Thanks for hosting these chats. This is for MODOT. On westbound I-44, before the Shrewsbury exit, there has been an abandoned Kia Soul on the shoulder since at least last Thursday (I am not sure if it is still there today. I have not seen a tag to tow it. My guess is that it was stolen and dumped there. Can it be towed ASAP?
  • Law enforcement is responsible for towing any vehicles that are considered abandoned.  You can reach out to SLMPD here: Contact SLMPD, St. Louis county here: Connect With Us - St. Louis County Police (stlouiscountypolice.com) or MSHP here: Troop C Home (mo.gov).  We did pass this along to the MSHP, but you may want to contact them, as well. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
  • I go through the Olive/Lindbergh Interchanges several times daily. I really don't see what the recent 'improvements' provided but that is a sunk cost.

    Going Eastbound on Olive, each turn entrance to Lindbergh (north and south) now has two lanes with green/red turn arrows. I find that a majority of times when the turn arrows are red that there is no significant westbound traffic on Olive. A "flashing yellow turn arrow" in the left most lane of each of these inter-changes would be especially helpful. I realize that both turn lanes can not have flashing yellow turn arrows but having ONE at each inter-change would certainly be efficient and safe.
  • Due to safety, we do not put flashing yellow arrows on roadways with two left turn lanes -- it is very possible that a vehicle (like a tractor-trailer) could be blocking your view of through traffic when you are trying to make a turn.   Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
  • Last week, a Road Crew chat participant observed that traffic had recently become very congested on northbound Hanley/Graham, near I-270. This issue was caused by an errant motorist, who in January ran off the road and barreled into the traffic control cabinet and a signal post at Graham and Calbreath Court, west of St. Anthony Lane. As we worked to repair the damage, there have been times when the signal has been 'dark,' placed in emergency "Red/Red/" flash mode, or programmed to operate in a reduced capacity. Also, on several occasions, we had to close lanes to perform necessary repairs - which further reduced traffic capacity on Graham Road. We're currently completing our repair work; the signal should be working properly in the very near future. David Wrone, St. Louis County's Department of Transportation
  • Thanks Mr Gates. I understand that flashing yellows would not work on both lanes, hence the reason why I indicated only in the LEFT most lane of the two. The other lane would only have the red/green arrow signal. I also believe an alternative of eliminating one of the two turn lanes so that there is only one would be way more efficient than the current two lanes and the timing thereof. I realize that in past chats MODot has said this was a 'permit project' and frankly I believe that the project was poorly designed (hence the delay in opening it because of redesign issues) and doesn't look like the original design plans that I remember seeing.
    Thanks for listening.
    Ken
  • I understand your comment, but even having one lane as a flashing yellow would be unsafe. For example, you could have a large vehicle on the outside turn lane (which would be the turn lane on the right). That vehicle could block the view that a driver trying to turn left would have for traffic that was heading through the intersection. There is still some construction set for this area -- mostly along Old Olive Road, that will be a part of the overall project.  Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
  • I have to agree with the person who wrote in about the Olive-Lindbergh interchange. It's much worse now than it was before it was rebuilt. The traffic lights take forever, the turn lane layout and signage is confusing, and functioned better overall the way it was. I drove through it several times week for 10 years and almost never saw any congestion or accidents.
  • Thank you for sharing your observations.  Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
  • Good afternoon. I want to make you aware of a potentially dangerous situation at I-55 and Reavis Barracks Road. Two pedestrian poles that used to house the ped button and the walk/don't walk indicators are missing. They are both on the north side of Reavis Barracks; one on the east side and one on the west side. Both had a tangle of wires sticking out of the sidewalk. Someone (MoDOT?) put an orange cone over one of them, which has subsequently disappeared. I think MoDOT is aware of the situation because the walk indicator, at least on one side of the highway, has been put in a recall status, which means the walk indicator is always coming on. The situation has been this way for over one month. Thank you.
  • Thanks for sharing this -- I am checking with our maintenance and traffic teams to see if they have any more information.  If I hear something on this while Road Crew is still live, I'll share it. Otherwise, I'll let you know what I find out in a future chat. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
  • Checking back in on the WB Manchester to Des Peres Road issue from two weeks ago, and again one week ago:

    I appreciate the adjustment to the timing of the lights at the bottom of the ramp from WB Manchester to Des Peres Road. It's only red for about 55-60 seconds now, instead of two full minutes - while traffic does still back up, it generally isn't stacked onto Manchester.

    However - the pot canyon in the offramp from WB Manchester to Des Peres is now about a foot wide, and probably 4-5" deep. It's reaching a critical point now, where MODOT is going to be paying for a LOT of wheels and/or tires. Seriously - if someone in charge or with authority to fix it could go look, you'll see the seriousness of the situation. Plus many other control joints are breaking up along that same ramp. I'm really concerned about damage to my vehicle.
  • Thanks for sharing your update on the signal timing. I did also ask our maintenance team to investigate this area this morning based on another customer raising a similar concern. I am told that they should be out there today. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
  • A couple of weeks ago I noticed what appears to be a new entrance to Lutheran Senior Services Campus on Laclede Groves Rd. It is just north of the main entrance. Is this a temporary road? It seems to be a poor location for the new entrance given the amount of traffic north and south bound Laclede Station Road especially during the morning and evening rush. A vehicle hoping to make a left onto this road is an accident waiting to happen. There is also a daycare on the same campus with numerous parents dropping off and picking up kids. Have they checked with the authorities before work began? Has a traffic study been done? Thanks for hosting these weekly chats.
  • I'll check with our Special Use Permit (SUP) group about this, and report back next week. David Wrone, St. Louis County's Department of Transportation
  • There seem to be at least 2 tents (homeless people) and plus lots of trash on a green & treed space between the highway ramps for I55 & i44, just S of Lafayette. Can you clear this area?
  • We work with the city of St. Louis to address concerns such as this.  Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communciations
  • The lights are out of sink at the intersection of Jefferson Ave at I64/40, causing traffic to back up. Please review & fix.
  • What exactly are you seeing and when? Since timing plans vary depending on the time of day, and the movement of traffic, that will help our traffic team see if there are any improvements they can make. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
  • I was shocked to see how easy it might be for someone going west on Olive to turn onto the OFFRAMP from Lindbergh -- as opposed to the onramp. A solution to this problem would be to extend the median divider on Olive another 10' farther to the west.
  • I can share your observations with our traffic team so they can ensure that the roadway is signed appropriately for the area.  Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
  • I seem to spend a very long time waiting for the light to make a left and go west on Clayton when I exit 40/64 in Ladue. I wonder if the sensor that detects a car is working properly for both of the left turn lanes? Sometimes I wait so long that I just go through the red light in frustration.
  • What time do you tend to see this? Signal timing often varies based on traffic levels and direction.  Any additional information can help our traffic team determine if there is an issue.  Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
  • We noticed that traffic was stuck between the lights for Nbound on Jefferson around 4pm. Yesterday
  • Thanks for the additional information -- I have asked our traffic team to take a look at this and work with the city of St. Louis to address any issues. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
    I used the reversible lanes on Highway 70 for years and really appreciated the convenience it provided. Will it ever reopen?
    The express lanes into the city will reopen when the construction at the Broadway Bridge over I-44 is complete later this summer.  Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
  • Striping for dual left turns are in need of repainting as they are difficult to see(e.g., New Halls Ferry and Lindbergh).
  • I am assuming you are talking about near the I-270 North project -- there are several striping updates planned as the project progresses through the summer and the weather is more conducing to striping. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
  • There are striping issues all over the metropolitan area. That was just an example.
  • Right now, temperatures are not generally warm enough for striping, but as we move into spring and temps warm up, our crews will be back out there.  You can share specific information on striping concerns on interstates and state numbered or lettered routes here, or by calling our customer service team 24/7 at 314-275-1500 or 1-888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636) -- we'll put them on the list for when crews start striping again. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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