The rhythms and routines of westward commutes are set for a shift back to something like normalcy. Starting at 7 p.m. tomorrow, November 8, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) will be reinstating the flow of westbound traffic onto the westbound Interstate 64 Boone Bridge over the Missouri River, as confirmed by MoDOT's announcement. The change, contingent as always on the whims of weather, is a part of ongoing construction and maintenance on the aging structure that connects counties, communities, and countless destinies forged between the riverbanks.
The final act of this traffic reconfiguration involves shutting the far-right lane of westbound I-64 at Spirit of St. Louis Boulevard, but only for the night. Workers will have their hands busy restriping lanes to prepare for the transition. Come morning on Sunday, November 9, travelers should find lanes where they remembered them—save for the far-left westbound lane, which will remain closed for another week while work on the median barrier wall is completed.
It's a dance of progress and inconvenience that MoDOT knows well. As one phase ends, another begins, with the focus shifting to eastbound lanes. On Monday, November 17, crews are scheduled to remove the temporary barrier wall that has been guiding vehicles in a slightly altered path. The work will take place nightly from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m., an effort executed in the cover of darkness to mitigate impact on the daily commute.
For the eastbound travelers, their path too will revert to its prior state by 5 a.m. Tuesday, November 25, if all goes according to plan.
