ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A heads up for drivers that take Interstate 44 through the Kirkwood and Crestwood areas. The Missouri Department of Transportation is closing I-44 in both directions near Big Bend Road this weekend to work on the bridge.
The interstate will close Friday night by 11 p.m., according to a release from MoDOT. They plan to reopen three lanes in both directions by Monday morning at 5 a.m. MoDOT will keep one lane in each direction closed through August.
MoDOT said drivers will be rerouted up and over the ramps at Big Bend Road, but expect slower travel times. They're encouraging drivers to find another way to get to I-44 during the closure.
The work is part of MoDOT's Big Bend Bridge replacement project. The bridge was taken down earlier this spring. In MoDOT's project description, they said the bridge was first built in 1967 and it was "reaching the end of its useful life."
MoDOT said the bridge needed "constant maintenance" and that it was cheaper to rebuild it than to rehabilitate it.
Construction on the new bridge is expected to be completed by late fall, according to the MoDOT website.
You can read more about the project by clicking here.
