ST CHARLES, Mo. — Road work and lane closures on the Blanchette Bridge kicked off Monday. Fewer people were on the road due to the Presidents Day holiday, but with everyone returning to the interstate Tuesday there could be quite the traffic jam.
The project is slated to continue for the next two years, but MoDOT expects a majority of the work to be done by this November.
Crews fired up their equipment on both sides of the Blanchette Bridge Monday to start their years-long work repairing the aging structure. Eastbound Interstate 70 will be reduced from five lanes to four and westbound lanes will drop from five to three.
The Blanchette Bridge is one of the main arteries to St. Charles. Nearby businesses are worried the increase in car traffic could decrease their foot traffic.
RELATED: Interactive traffic map
Dan Baker owns Olivino on the Streets of St. Charles. He's optimistic but still concerned the congestion will keep people away.
"During construction it's going to be a bit rough, but afterwards it will end up being better," Baker told 5 On Your Side. "Two-year construction is going to be a long pull. So, the jury's out."
Olivino's neighbor on the Streets of St. Charles is MOD Boutique. Madie Osvath is a manager there, and she's worried about employees who have to take the Blanchette Bridge to work.
"I personally do not, but I know a lot of my employees do," Osvath said. "So, it depends on where they are living, where they are commuting to."
RELATED: Work begins on $80M project to fix 'decades' of flooding problems on Brentwood's Manchester Road
Osvath said many of her clients drive over the bridge to shop at MOD.
The Katy Trail runs under the Blanchette Bridge, so there will be times when construction impedes access. MoDOT said it's working with the Department of Natural Resources to coordinate possible closures.
The work schedule is as follows:
Every day between Monday, Feb. 17, through Friday, Feb. 21, crews will close the following:
- Two eastbound right lanes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Two westbound right lanes from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The following week, crews will prepare for the upcoming traffic switch that will move two eastbound lanes onto the westbound bridge. The westbound bridge will be reduced to three lanes until November 2020 during this time.
Starting at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21:
- Two left eastbound lanes and two left westbound lanes will be closed overnight for crews to place traffic barriers to prepare for the traffic switch.
- By 6 a.m. Saturday morning, one left lane in both directions will be closed and will remain closed for up to three weeks.
During the week of Feb. 24:
- Crews will have up to two left eastbound lanes closed from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Two left westbound lanes will be closed from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For two consecutive weekends starting Friday, March 6 and Friday, March 13:
- Various lanes will be closed over the weekend to re-stripe lanes and prepare to switch two eastbound lanes onto the westbound bridge. Westbound traffic will be reduced from five lanes to three lanes during this work.
Starting the weekend of Friday, March 13:
- The on-ramp from Veterans Memorial Parkway to eastbound I-70 will close. This is the ramp just east of the convention center. This ramp will remain closed until November 2020. Drivers wishing to enter eastbound I-70 can use the Fifth Street entrance ramp as an alternate route.
MoDOT suggested using Route 370, Route 364 and Interstate 64/Route 40 to get around the construction.
Additional lane closures on the eastbound lanes of the bridge during off-peak hours could impact the bridge during the 2021 construction season.
The $33 million project includes replacing expansion joints, performing steel repairs on the truss and approach spans and repainting the entire eastbound bridge.
You can sign up for Blanchette Bridge project updates by sending an email to Blanchettei70@modot.mo.gov, or follow the process on the MoDOT website.
Latest local headlines:
- 'This is the start of Downtown Chesterfield' | New owners complete purchase of Chesterfield Mall
- 'My husband was unrecognizable' | Florissant father run over and dragged by hit-and-run driver
- Firefighters pay tribute to four victims of deadly crash on I-64
- Wanted: Police searching for man accused of shooting off-duty officer
