Questions about traffic 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.
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Happy New Year! At the beginning of the year, I wanted to remind you that MoDOT is responsible for interstates and state numbered and lettered routes in the state, such as St. Charles Rock Road (Missouri Route 180) or Manchester (Missouri Route 100). For those roadways signed as state routes in the city of St. Louis, MoDOT’s responsibilities are generally limited to curb to curb maintenance (including repairs to the driving surface, signing, striping, signals and sweeping). Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications -
Hello - If you could have someone take a look at the light on the off ramp to I-64E @ Winghaven/DD. Every morning at 5:30 there is a good 6-8 cars lined up waiting for the left turn arrow. There isn't a lot of traffic that early in the morning and we just sit there while the other light is green with no traffic. If this could be looked at it would be appreciated. Thanks for all your hard work. -
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Can someone take a look at the light on Dougherty Ferry going south on 270? It's not timed effectively for drivers coming from Ballas. If there's no one sitting in the south bound turn lane at the 270 light as drivers going west from Ballas enter the intersection, they get stuck for another cycle. It's doubly frustrating if you're stopped at the light before 270 and then have to wait again.
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What time are you seeing this issue? We typically give the roadway with the most traffic the most time (although we do give priority to the interstate to prevent traffic backing up on the ramp). Knowing the time can help our traffic team better evaluate and potentially troubleshoot the concern. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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Could you look at the traffic light at Gravois and Grant Road? Now that Grant’s Farm is closed for the season it isn’t as big a deal. Eastbound traffic on Gravois often backs up as cars want to turn left onto Grant Road. Virtually every time, there is no left turn arrow to start the cycle and making a left on the flashing arrow is difficult. Further, Grant’s Trail gets a passage light and there could be a left turn arrow since the Trail is in the east side of Grant Road.
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In last week's chat, a motorist asked: "Can the lights on Ballas road be synchronized especially from Conway to Clayton?. Also the light at MO Baptist hospital often signals for a left turn when there is no one in line to make a left turn so it is obviously not a "smart" light?" St. Louis County's Reply: Both St. Louis County and MoDOT maintain signals within this segment of Ballas. Both agencies are working to coordinate the signals and thereby resolve the issues you mention. David Wrone, St. Louis County's Department of Transportation -
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We have a project coming up along Route 366 in a few years, so we are in the early stages of looking at the route. We can certainly take a look at the medians to see if they are still appropriate for the corridor as a part of that process. I have shared your observation with the team working on that project. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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What is the average life span of interstate highway pavement? Curious because 1-70 between 270 and downtown is bit rough of a rough drive in some lanes, multiple patch jobs, seen better days. Wouldn't it be cheaper in the long run to re-pave vs. constant patching and maintenance? Basically not putting a bandaid on a gushing wound.
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Most interstate pavement has a fairly significant life span. We have a team that closely monitors all the department maintained roadways and bridges and arranges to determine and schedule the appropriate preventative maintenance for that infrastructure. Sometimes that maintenance is removing the top layer of asphalt and replacing it, sometimes it includes placing a new surface on top of the existing surfaces and sometimes it entails removing sections of the roadway and replacing it. We have some resurfacing work on I-70 scheduled for the city area this year and some in St. Louis County set for next year. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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That intersection is still under construction and has a great deal of work to complete until it is finished later this year. I am double-checking with the team to be sure, but I believe that the bike lanes remain closed during the construction. When the work is finished, any remaining connectivity between bike lanes will be restored. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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Manchester road in Rock Hill, Kirkwood and Glendale between Lindbergh and McNight is horrible with recent potholes and construction (adding underground drainage or wiring). Is there a plan to rectify this road? It is terrible for those of us who have to regularly drive on it.
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OK, but why are bicycles and pedestrians always the last to be accommodated? Cars blast through there unimpeded on 8 lanes now, and those lanes were opened ASAP. It's a dangerous intersection even to walk through right now - the pedestrian lights should default to "walk" with the green lights for thru traffic and then to "don't walk" after a safe amount of time. Instead, the "don't walk" stays on all the time, until "walk" is activated by the pedestrian and then "walk" is worked into the overall sequencing.
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Although we understand the impacts that it can have, we limit traffic through work zones (of all types) when necessary for safety. While we have construction teams in place, we try to accommodate, as best we can, those residents walking or cycling, while still ensuring they, and our construction teams, stay as safe as we can reasonably make them. Again, I am waiting to hear back from the construction team on this. Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communications
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The two aren't dependent upon each other. MoDOT would like to improve I-70 through the state, as funding permits -- We have some work scheduled, for instance along I-70 at the Wentzville curve currently funded and have other, similar projects that are top priorities for us. Due to Missouri's constitution, we have to have funding available (or can reasonably expect the funding to be available) to develop projects beyond a conceptual stage. The I-70 corridor is heavily traveled and carries a lot of truck traffic, Although it is possible, it is unlikely that we will be able to fund a project that widens the interstate across the state in one fell swoop. Most likely, the work will be done in smaller pieces. You can see more on our funding here: Citizen's Guide to Transportation Funding in Missouri | Missouri Department of Transportation (modot.org) Andrew Gates, MoDOT Communciations