Heads up, commuters in Franklin County — your nightly trek is about to hit a snag. Starting on July 6, eastbound travelers on Missouri Route 185/AF over Interstate 44 will need to find a new path. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has scheduled closures of the eastbound lanes to make some necessary girder repairs near exit 226, as reported by MoDOT.
The construction is slated to kick off each night at 7 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and it's going to stretch until the early morning. At 5 a.m., roads reopen, but before that, eastbound traffic will be nudged off the interstate, starting with a single lane at 7 p.m., and continuing with a full-blown detour onto the exit ramp by 9 p.m. According to MoDOT, "Once eastbound traffic is on the exit ramp, motorists will be allowed to go through the intersection to get back onto eastbound I-44."
However, it's not just any given Sunday. On July 6, to ease the woes of post-holiday weekend travels, the lane closures will have a delayed start at 10 p.m. It's a small mercy for those returning from their Independence Day festivities with hopes of an unobstructed journey home.
Westbound lanes, for now, remain untouched by the nighttime construction dance—no closures are set for that direction. This should come as a relief to those heading out west, as they won't have to wrestle with the same detours and late-night delays their eastbound counterparts are dealing with. "The westbound lanes of Interstate 44 will not be closed for construction", MoDOT's website states plainly, sparing half the traveling population from the impending construction woes.
Not ideal for sure, but with MoDOT at the wheel, rest assured that these structural fixes are deemed essential for keeping the roads safe and sound. Commuters might want to bookmark the notification page or maybe just gear up for a little detour adventure. Whatever your strategy, plan ahead — Franklin County's night-owls and late laborers will need to navigate this nightly close-and-reopen routine for the foreseeable future.
