Drivers who use I-44 for weekend travel will want to consider alternate routes September 13-16, as MoDOT will close the for work on the Watson Road bridge.

This work, which includes bridge girder painting, will allow crews to accelerate construction enough to be able to open the bridge by the end of September, one month early.

Crews will start closing all lanes of eastbound and westbound I-44 between I-270 and Geyer Road starting at 7 p.m. Friday, September 13, with all lanes closed by 8 p.m. All lanes are scheduled to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, September 16.

During the interstate closure, drivers will still be able to get from I-44 to I-270 in both directions, as well as to eastbound Watson Road (Route 366).  Eastbound I-44 drivers wanting to continue east on I-44 can take exit 277A to Watson Road, turn onto Lindbergh, and take Lindbergh back to eastbound I-44. Westbound I-44 drivers wanting to continue west on I-44 will need to take the I-270 exit (exit 276)  and use the westbound I-44 ramp (after the bridge) to continue on westbound I-44 during the closure. These detours are similar to the ones used during the bridge demolition earlier this summer.
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The westbound Watson Road bridge should now reopen by the end of September. While the bridge is closed, Watson Road drivers can use Lindbergh to access westbound I-44 and northbound and southbound I-270.

Updates from MoDOT regarding the continued work around the Meramec River:
Now that water levels in the Meramec River have dropped, crews have been working hard on building the foundation for the new westbound bridge in the river.  We are still planning to make the shift to move eastbound traffic to the new westbound bridge in December of this year.
 
Work also continues on the westbound bridge from Watson Road to northbound and southbound I-270 and westbound I-44.  Right now, we are tentatively planning to have a full closure on eastbound and westbound I-44 the weekend of September 13-16.  By having this full closure, we will be able to get much of the remaining work that needs to be complete on the bridge, and anticipate a good chance that we can get the bridge open by the end of September – about a month early.  This will, of course, continue to depend on weather.
 
The week prior to that, we anticipate having an additional westbound lane closed, during the day, to place girders for the bridge. Details on that, and the full closure, will be shared when we are a little closer to that week.
 
When the Watson Bridge reopens, we will reopen the ramp from Watson Road to northbound and southbound I-270 and westbound I-44. The eastbound lane which is closed around the clock will continue to remain closed through October.
 
We are still continuing to work on mainline pavement east and west of the Meramec River.

Residents of the region, especially in the communities of Kirkwood, Fenton and Sunset Hills, are invited to an open house about the project to build a connection for people walking and biking on the new Interstate 44 bridge over the Meramec River. The municipalities of Fenton, Kirkwood and Sunset Hills in south St. Louis along with project partners Great Rivers Greenway and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) invite neighbors to learn about the project and give their input during this early planning phase (will bid for construction at the end of 2020). People can stop by anytime for light refreshments and to check out display boards, talk to staff and fill out a survey.

MoDOT Open House
Tuesday, August 20th | 6pm - 8pm
​Sunset Hills Community Center
3915 S. Lindbergh Blvd.
Sunset Hills, MO 63127
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At this time, concepts are being explored to guide the design of trail connections and amenities associated with the bridge. Public input and technical feasibility are important components of the concept development. This project has several goals:

• Provide people with a safe and accessible way to cross the Meramec River while walking, running or riding a bike.
• Connect to the Meramec Greenway, parks, trails, businesses, neighborhoods and other destinations on either side, including possible new trailheads with amenities like a restroom, benches and parking.
• Allow people to connect to the Meramec River itself; inviting people to enjoy nature leads to ownership and opportunities to be good stewards of these natural resources for the health and long-term sustainability of our watershed and communities.

UPDATE 8/2: Two SOUTHBOUND lanes will close on Route 141 at the Meramec River, not northbound as originally noted in the press release below. In addition, the flyover ramp from southbound 141 to eastbound I-44 will be closed Saturday at 5am to Sunday at 10am. This change is due to major roadwork on I-44 at I-270; those north of I-44 do have a few other options in this area to get to I-270 and should keep it relatively open for people heading out of Fenton.

Drivers who use Route 141 near the I-44 interchange for weekend travel may want to consider alternate routes over the next four weekends, as MoDOT will close two lanes on the route for work on the bridges over the Meramec River and BNSF railroad.

During this work, crews will be placing an overlay on the bridges to help protect the driving surface.
Weather permitting, the current schedule is:

• July 26-29: Crews will close two northbound lanes on Route 141 near the Meramec River and BNSF railroad bridge at 7 p.m. Friday, July 26. During this time, there will also be one southbound lane closed at the BNSF railroad to make some barrier wall repairs. All lanes are scheduled to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, July 29.
• August 2-5: Crews will close two northbound lanes on Route 141 near the Meramec River and BNSF railroad bridge at 7 p.m. Friday, August 2. During this weekend, the flyover ramp from southbound Route 141 to eastbound I-44 will be closed from 5 a.m. Saturday, August 3 until 8 a.m. August 4. All lanes are scheduled to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, August 5.
• August 9-12: Crews will close two southbound lanes on Route 141 near the Meramec River and BNSF railroad bridge 7 p.m. Friday, August 9. All lanes are scheduled to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, August 12.
• August 16-19: Crews will close two southbound lanes on Route 141 near the Meramec River and BNSF railroad bridge at 7 p.m. Friday, August 16. All lanes are scheduled to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, August 19.

​Although traffic will still be able to travel across the bridge, drivers can expect slower travel and may want to allow extra time, or use I-270 as an alternate route. Drivers will still be able to access both eastbound and westbound I-44 from Route 141 in both directions.

Drivers who use Route 141 near the I-44 interchange for weekend travel will want to consider alternate routes May 31 – June 3, as MoDOT will close two lanes on the route in each direction for work on the bridge over the Meramec River.

Crews will close two lanes of northbound Route 141 at the Meramec River starting at all 7 p.m. Friday, May 31. They will close one lane southbound at 7 p.m., and will close a second southbound lane at 9 p.m. In addition, crews will close the turn from northbound Route 141 to Forest Avenue. Traffic on Forest will be able to turn onto northbound Route 141 and use the ThrU Turn to travel on southbound. Route 141.

During the closures, crews will be completing preventative maintenance and making repairs to the bridge.

Although traffic will still be able to travel northbound and southbound across the bridge, drivers can expect slower travel and may want to allow extra time, or use I-270 as an alternate route. Drivers will still be able to access both eastbound and westbound I-44 from Route 141 in both directions, but will also want to remember that all lanes of eastbound I-44 will be closed just east of I-270 at the same time, so traffic heading east on I-44 may also be slow heading through the detour.
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All lanes on Route 141 are scheduled to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, June 3.