East to west traffic on the Whitton Expressway will be disrupted during the Feb. 6 weekend when two bridges over the thoroughfare are removed as part of the Lafayette Street Interchange project.
The Lafayette Street Interchange project is a two-year, $20.3 million project to improve safety and traffic flow along U.S. 50. This project includes building a new interchange at 50 and Lafayette, adding a lane in each direction on the expressway from Monroe Street to Lafayette and from Lafayette to Clark Avenue, along with improvements to six bridges along the corridor.
Whitton Expressway West will be closed from Clark to Monroe, and 50 East will be closed from Madison Street to Clark to remove the Jackson Street and Chestnut Street bridges, which carry vehicles over the expressway. The 50 closure will take place from 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, until 6 a.m. Monday, Feb. 9.
Motorists, particularly those who drive large trucks, traveling both directions on 50 are advised to use the following detours during the closure:
• Traveling east: Detour to U.S. 54 to Route B to Wardsville to Route M through Taos and back to 50.
• Traveling west: Detour to Route M through Taos and Wardsville to Route B to 54 back to 50.
Signs will lead motorists through the detours during the closure. Electronic message boards will be placed along the route in advance of the closure to inform motorists of the closure and the detours.
Both bridges will also be closed in preparation for their removal and replacement. The Jackson Street bridge will close at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, and will remain closed until completion in fall 2016. The Chestnut Street bridge will close at 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 6, and will remain closed until completion in June of this year.
"Contractors will be working around the clock to remove the bridges and reopen the expressway as soon as possible," said Terry Imhoff, Missouri Department of Transportation resident engineer. "As a result, residents in the area will experience some noise that weekend. We appreciate the patience and understanding of the public while we complete this part of the project."
All work schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions.
For more information about this project, including traffic impact summaries and weekly construction updates, MoDOT has launched a Lafayette Street Interchange webpage found at modot.org/central/major_projects/LafayetteInterchange.htm.