ST CHARLES, Mo. — If you use the Blanchette Bridge to get over the Missouri River, get ready for construction and significant delays starting Monday and stretching into November.
MoDOT said the closures will start Monday as crews prepare the roadways for the upcoming construction.
The work schedule is as follows.
Every day between Monday, Feb. 17, through Friday, Feb. 21, crews will close the following:
- Two eastbound right lanes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Two westbound right lanes from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The following week, crews will prepare for the upcoming traffic switch that will move two eastbound lanes onto the westbound bridge. The westbound bridge will be reduced to three lanes until November 2020 during this time.
Starting at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21:
- Two left eastbound lanes and two left westbound lanes will be closed overnight for crews to place traffic barriers to prepare for the traffic switch.
- By 6 a.m. Saturday morning, one left lane in both directions will be closed and will remain closed for up to three weeks.
During the week of Feb. 24:
- Crews will have up to two left eastbound lanes closed from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Two left westbound lanes will be closed from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For two consecutive weekends starting Friday, March 6 and Friday, March 13:
- Various lanes will be closed over the weekend to re-stripe lanes and prepare to switch two eastbound lanes onto the westbound bridge. Westbound traffic will be reduced from five lanes to three lanes during this work.
Starting the weekend of Friday, March 13:
- The on-ramp from Veterans Memorial Parkway to eastbound I-70 will close. This is the ramp just east of the convention center. This ramp will remain closed until November 2020. Drivers wishing to enter eastbound I-70 can use the Fifth Street entrance ramp as an alternate route.
RELATED: Interactive traffic map
MoDOT suggested using Route 370, Route 364 and Interstate 64/Route 40 to get around the construction.
Additional lane closures on the eastbound lanes of the bridge during off-peak hours could impact the bridge during the 2021 construction season.
The $33 million project includes replacing expansion joints, performing steel repairs on the truss and approach spans, and repainting the entire eastbound bridge.
You can sign up for Blanchette Bridge project updates by sending an email to Blanchettei70@modot.mo.gov, or follow the process on the MoDOT website.
