If you're in the habit of cruising along Route 67, better known as Lindbergh Boulevard, expect a shake-up to your routine post-Memorial Day. MoDOT has dropped the news that the bridge over Deer Creek, located just a hop, skip, and a jump from German Boulevard/Conway Road, will be closing for construction work starting at 9 a.m. on May 27. This isn't your quick overnight fix—it’s scheduled to last through the scorching heart of summer until late July, as detailed in an announcement by MoDOT.
Planning your detour route might be a good idea, unless sitting in traffic is your idea of a chill time, but even then, MoDOT is offering some consolation for local businesses in the form of breaks in the center barrier. Drivers with aspirations of visiting the Honda of Frontenac from the north won't be entirely out of luck, neither will those coming from the south with an aching need for the gas station near Deer Creek, as they'll get to sneak through breaks near the businesses, these small mercies were confirmed in MoDOT's announcement.
For drivers who haven’t quite memorized the nooks and crannies of the surrounding streets, MoDOT is bound to come up with detour signs that’ll guide the way. Yet for all the signage in the world, locals know that a closed bridge spells longer commutes and the potential for those "I'm going to be late" morning calls to work.
With construction crews set to descend on what many consider an arterial road through our city, we might witness the kind of traffic snarls that inspire spontaneous coffee runs, the urge to finish that audiobook you started weeks ago, or maybe even the temptation to learn a new language, because what else is there to do when you’re idling in the standstill that is peak rush hour. But heed the advice of MoDOT, plan ahead, and maybe, just maybe, the summer of construction won’t feel like the longest of your life, even if the promise of “late July” could stretch like the sun-drenched days it's meant to encapsulate.
