COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Expect extensive delays on weekday evening rush hours in the coming weeks.
The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that the three right lanes of eastbound Interstate 55/64, as well as the ramp to southbound Illinois 3 and the ramp to southbound Tudor Avenue in East St. Louis will close at midnight on April 1.
Lane closures will be in place until early October while workers replace the bridge decks on eastbound I-55/64.
The ramp from northbound Piggott Avenue to eastbound I-55/64, which was closed Feb. 22, will remain closed.
In Missouri, the Marion Street entrance ramp to northbound Interstate 55 and the right lane of northbound I-55 approaching the Poplar Street Bridge will be closed. Interstate 64 will be reduced to one lane approaching the Poplar Street Bridge.
The closures are part of a $29.8 million project, funded by Rebuild Illinois, to rehabilitate the bridges in this area.
The public is urged to use alternate routes, including the Interstate 70 Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge. Public transportation and carpooling are encouraged as well.
As part of the Rebuild Illinois capital program, IDOT is planning to improve more than 3,300 miles of highway and 8.4 million square feet of bridge deck over the next six years.
The Missouri Department of Transportation also recently closed lanes and ramps as part of its Jefferson Interchange Project.
The latest move on the project was to demolish the Ewing Street Bridge, which happened late February.
The entire project is expected to be completed by 2022.