ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Monday, MoDOT is set to close the westbound lane of Pershall Road between New Florissant and Hanley roads in north St. Louis County.
The closure was scheduled to start at 7 a.m.
While the closure is in place, signed detours will direct motorists from New Florissant Road to access Dunn Road to travel westbound to Hanley. MoDOT officials said during the closure, traffic in this section of Pershall Road will be one-lane eastbound only.
The westbound lane closure will last for six months. After construction is complete, this portion of Pershall Road will reopen as an eastbound only, dual-lane outer road.
The westbound closure and construction work on Pershall is part of the $278 million I-270 North Design Build Project. The project is designed for infrastructure upgrades from McDonnell Boulevard to Bellefontaine Road in north St. Louis County.
MoDOT officials said Interstate 270 is one of the heaviest traveled interstates in Missouri with aging infrastructure and limited pedestrian facilities. According to the website on the project, 140,000 vehicles, 18% of which are heavy trucks, travel I-270 daily.
The webpage also said that I-270 North has a higher crash rate than comparable roads in the region.
"Reports show that both directions of I-270 have higher than average rates of severe crashes. They also indicate higher than average crash rates, with Eastbound I-270 showing an average crash rate 30% higher than the statewide average for interstates," the site said.
MoDOT officials said that the I-270 North Project will replace aging infrastructure, link communities together, improve accessibility for bicyclists and pedestrians and enhance traffic operations and safety throughout the I-270 corridor.
The project began work in spring 2020 and is set to wrap in December 2023, according to the project's website.
You can learn more about the I-270 North Design Build Project and all its future plans on the project website.