Community Corner
Traffic Ahead: If You Go Downtown, Take I-44
All lanes on eastbound I-64 in downtown St. Louis will close this weekend.
Who is a bigger "Traffic Troublemaker" than a driver texting and talking on the phone—no one?
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) called this week for every state to ban non-emergency use of portable electronic devices for all drivers.
A horrific crash on I-64/40 at Mason Road July 2008 killed and mamed many, and officials said a truck driver was distracted reaching for a cell phone when he plowed into 20 cars stopped in traffic.
Find out what's happening in Chesterfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In another crash August 2010 on I-44 in Gray's Summit, two were killed and 35 injured when a driver was "most likely distracted from the driving task by a text messaging conversation at or near the time of the accident," according to the NHSB.
Is banning use of phones too extreme? Unrealistic? Necessary? Write a comment below to let us know.
MoDOT work zones for December 15-21:
Find out what's happening in Chesterfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
- All lanes on eastbound I-64 in downtown St. Louis will close this weekend.
- In downtown St. Louis, all lanes on eastbound I-64 from Jefferson to 6th Street will close this weekend.
- The closures will occur from 8 p.m. Friday until 8 p.m. Sunday for bridge work.
- Motorists are urged to use Jefferson to I-44 as a detour to get downtown.
- Eastbound ramps at Pine Street, Forest Park and Ewing will close at 7 p.m. Friday until 8 p.m. Sunday.
Broadway or the 10th Street entrance ramps closed:
- On westbound I-64, the Broadway or the 10th Street entrance ramps will also close from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.
- Either ramp closure depends on if the left or right lane on westbound I-64 is closed.
- Both ramps will not be closed at the same time.
Striping to continue on 270:
- Crews will continue striping both northbound and southbound lanes of I-270 between I-70 and Olive Boulevard daily from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., weather permitting.
On-going closures...
- I-70, St. Louis City, right lane on eastbound I-70 closed from St. Louis Avenue to Broadway until summer 2012.
- I-64, St. Louis City, eastbound 11th Street exit ramp closed weekdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- I-70, St. Louis City, express lanes are closed until mid-December.
- I-70, St. Louis City, the ramp from eastbound I-70 to 10th Street has permanently closed.
- Grand Blvd, St. Louis City, closed from I-64 to Chouteau by St. Louis City until mid 2012.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.