ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Drivers can expect another weekend of traffic delays at the Blanchette Memorial Bridge as preparation for a construction project continues.
Eastbound Interstate 70 will be down to one lane intermittently as crews work to install the median bypass and place two eastbound lanes onto the westbound bridge. The onramp to eastbound I-70 from Fifth Street will also close several times starting Wednesday night.
The Missouri Department of Transporation said the work is expected to be finished by November.
Here's MoDOT's timeline – and suggested detours – for this weekend:
Wednesday
- Wednesday night: The on-ramp to eastbound I-70 from Fifth Street will close at midnight until 3 a.m. Thursday. Drivers can instead take Convention Center Boulevard.
Friday night and Saturday
- At 8 p.m., the on-ramp from Veterans Memorial Parkway to eastbound I-70, just east of the convention center, will close until November 2020.
- At midnight until 8 a.m. Saturday the on-ramp from Route 94 to eastbound I-70 will be closed. Alternate routes are Page Avenue or Route 370.
- At midnight until 8 a.m. Saturday the Fifth Street to eastbound I-70 will be closed. Drivers can take Fifth Street north to Route 94 to get to Route 370 or Fifth Street/Arena Parkway south to Route 364.
- At midnight until 3 a.m. Saturday, the eastbound I-70 ramps to Fifth Street and Veterans Memorial Parkway will close for restriping.
Monday
- From 9 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday: the Fifth Street on ramp to eastbound I-70 will be closed. The eastbound bridge will also be closed from 9 p.m.-5 a.m. There will be two eastbound lanes for drivers to take that will cross over the westbound bridge. Drivers will be detoured to Route 94, where they will be able to access Eastbound I-70.
"Rehabilitating the eastbound portion of the I-70 Missouri River Bridge is critical so it can be viable for another 20 years," MoDOT said on its website. "The eastbound I-70 Missouri River Bridge opened in 1978 and due to the age of the bridge, improvements are needed. A variety of repairs will be made including replacing expansion joints, repairing the steel structure, sealing the bridge deck, and full paint replacement."
For updates on the project's progress, click here.
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