ST. PETERS, Mo. — Starting Friday at 10 p.m. MoDOT will shut down all lanes of Interstate 70 at the Cave Springs exit this weekend to demolish an old bridge.
MoDOT officials advise drivers to avoid the area if possible as they will have to exit the I-70 at Cave Springs, go over the exit ramp and get back on the highway.
Drivers said traffic on I-70 can be a nightmare, especially near Cave Springs.
“We usually slow down right in this area,” driver Mike Settles said.
And it’s about to get worse.
MoDOT is shutting down the entire interstate to take down the old bridge at Cave Springs.
“I've been trying to make sense of what they're doing on our roads out here for years. Honestly, with the turnabouts and everything else, it used to be I feel more efficient back in the day, but nowadays, I mean, it's just the volume. So many people,” Settles said.
MoDOT Project Director Nick Gibbons said cities are expanding faster than the roads can handle.
“Converting these interchanges will help the traffic, efficiency and safety of the interchanges. These were built back in the early 80s and since then the population in St. Charles has grown and the infrastructure isn't able to keep up with population growth,” Gibbons said.
MoDOT is trying to make the situation better by putting in what they call a single-point urban interchange.
“So it’ll actually take the two signalized intersections at the I-70 ramps and it'll combine those into one signalized intersection on the bridge to sort of help spread out the intersections and alleviate traffic,” Gibbons said.
Drivers have mixed feelings.
Some say they are frustrated.
“Nothing's going to improve it. But I mean, props to them. If they think it's going to work, hopefully, it does,” driver Robyn Spalding said.
Others are conflicted.
“It’s frustrating but at the same time, there are a lot of roads that need construction or at least need updating. I complain about that all the time, too. So, you can't win either way, really,” Settles said.
But Daniel Chigere is hopeful because nightmares have to end at some point.
“So there's a saying that behind every tunnel, there's a light at the end of every tunnel. So I believe once this is over, it is we the commuters that are going to enjoy it,” Chigere said.
This closure is only going to last from Friday night at 10 p.m. to Monday at 5 a.m.
The entire I-70 Cave Springs to Fairgrounds project comes out to $62.4 million and is projected to be completed next summer.