LEMAY, Mo. — The Interstate 55 construction project that goes from south St. Louis to south St. Louis County has been very taxing for lots of folks: drivers, residents, businesses, MoDOT and their contractors, too.
The age of the streets and infrastructure is a big factor in this rehab. It's caused a merry-go-round of issues for everyone. They close one exit for scheduled work, but another exit will develop big potholes like whack-a-mole, which causes closures and emergency repairs.
Another challenge in this puzzle is the almost 200-year-old neighborhood of Lemay Ferry, which surrounds the historic Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
For another story, we went for a ride with Lemay EMS and Fire to learn more about emergency response and what it is like for today's firefighters today in a challenging world. I was surprised by how rocky and torn up the streets are in Lemay. We were certainly bouncing around.
"The entire neighborhood has been under a lot of construction lately. We've had additional accidents and other calls," Lemay Fire Department Public Information Officer Jason Bryce said. "Things like gas leaks, and they are replacing the water mains in the streets."
Auto accidents are up 33% from a year ago in Lemay.
"The majority of them are accidents with injuries. There have been a few fatalities," Lemay EMT Jason Bryce said. "These accident calls are in addition to the thousands of EMS calls Lemay already receives each year."
Road crews are working hard, but they have their work cut out for them. Police said caution while driving is the best policy. It's all about going slower and trying to know the way before you go.
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