Commuters navigating the sprawl of St. Louis will need to pivot their routes as the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has shut down Conway Road beneath the overpass of Interstate 270. MoDOT cites "safety concerns" for the closure, which impacts drivers on both directions of the underpass. This change is set to shuffle the daily commute for countless individuals reliant on this vein of transit.
The official detour prescribed for westbound travelers involves a roundabout path through New Ballas, Ladue, Mason, and the North I-64 Outer Road. Eastbound traffic, on the other hand, will maintain access to Mercy Hospital east of I-270 by way of Ballas Road to Conway, as well as to sectors of Conway west of I-270 from the I-64 north outer road, MoDOT announced.
This roadway interruption is not a fleeting inconvenience—MoDOT anticipates the closure will persist through the latter part of 2025. As is often the case with such disruptions, the extent of the closure's impact on local commerce, commute times, and the daily flow of life remains to be quantified. What is clear, though, is the effect this will have on the rhythms of those who tread these routes with the regularity of a heartbeat.
In their announcement, MoDOT urged drivers to plan for additional travel time and to get acquainted with alternative routes that will remain critical arteries for St. Louis mobility for the foreseeable future.
