MoDOT activates first traffic cameras in Jefferson County

Jefferson County drivers along Interstate 55 can now get a better look at their commute, as the Missouri Department of Transportation activated five traffic cameras along the interstate in the county. Drivers can view these cameras, as well as other newly activated cameras along I-55 in south St. Louis County at GatewayGuide.com.
Using the new cameras, drivers can make informed decisions about their commute before they leave work or home. MoDOT can also better monitor traffic conditions and detect incidents such as crashes or congestion on I-55. That information will help the department report conditions on roadways around St. Louis on overhead message boards, Gateway Guide.com and on MoDOT’s 5-1-1 traffic information number. If an incident does occur, MoDOT can dispatch crews to help with traffic control and road clearance, and relay information to the Missouri Highway Patrol.

A hope for saving lives

There's no simple or sugar-coated way to put it: people die on the roadways. Although Missouri has worked hard to reduce those numbers (and done so successfully), there is sill a simple way to save about 10 percent of the people who die on Missouri roadways -- incorporating a primary safety belt law.

This year, MoDOT is working with legislators to get a primary safety belt law passed in Missouri. Increasing safety belt use is the most effective and immediate way to save lives and reduce injuries on Missouri roads. Of more than 500 Missouri traffic laws, the current safety belt law is the only one that has a secondary enforcement provision - a driver must break another law first before they can be cited for a safety belt violation.

MoDOT estimates that we can save more than 90 lives and prevent more than 1,000 serious injuries each year by passing a primary safety belt law. To do this, we need your help. Find out how Missouri can save more lives each year here.

Traffic flow on I-270/I-255

MoDOT is currently doing a study on some of the recent changes to move traffic along I-270 and I-255 in St. Louis, primarily the Variable Speel Limit project. As part of that study, the department is looking for people to take a short survey to determine how effective these traffic changes are. Provide your opinion on traffic flow on the I-270/I-255 loop in Missouri by going here. This survey will remain open until the end of the study, in mid-2010. However, by putting information in now, and as the study continues, drivers in St. Louis can give their input on any improvement (or lack thereof) on traffic flow on St. Louis' busiest interstate.

What to know before you go

In St. Louis, MoDOT has more than 80 projects currently programmed to start in the next year. Some are fairly basic -- resurfacing jobs, putting in barriers and the like -- and will have minimal to no impact on traffic. Others are bigger -- such as the I-64 reconstruction between I-170 and Kingshighway. These projects will have major impact on traffic, requiring detours and extra time to get around the construction. To find out what is planned in your area for the next year, check out the 2009 St. Louis construction map. You can see it on-line here. It is in a pdf format and runs about 635 Kb.

Top 10 construction zones for 2009

MoDOT has announced the 10 projects in the St. Louis metropolitan region which will have the biggest impact on traffic in the region. These projects are all programmed (which means they are funded).

Of course, the biggest project is the reconstruction of I-64 between Kingshighway and I-170. Other projects include bridgework along I-44, and resurfacing on various roadways. Click here to see the entire list.

The I-64 Flip

This weekend, crews flipped the construction closure on Interstate 64 through the heart of St. Louis city. Crews closed the eastern five miles of the interstate this weekend to construct the new I-64, while opening the western half of the project two weeks ahead of schedule.

To manage traffic during this flip, as drivers through the city are learning which routes are the best for their daily commutes, the Missouri Department of Transportation in conjunction with traffic experts from St. Louis County and St. Louis City, have been operating a command center to watch for trouble spots during the early part of the eastern closure.

Traffic flow on the first day was impacted a bit by icy weather that rolled through St. Louis just before the Monday morning rush period. Although traffic during the day was relatively light due to the weather, it moved along smoothly.

The start of designing something big

Engineers have been hard at work designing the Mississippi River Bridge, the $640 million river crossing which will begin construction in 2010. The design team, which is co-located in Laclede's Landing near the Mississippi River, has prequalified four contractor teams to bid on the cable stay portion of the bridge.

This prequalification means these contractors teams have the experience, leadership and capability available (within the team) to complete the complex work required to construct the new river bridge. It also means that these contractor teams will be able to work with the MRB team to develop confidential and individualized proposals using the latest advances in construction technology. This innovative method to reduce costs will allow Missouri and Illinois to get the best possible bid late next year as the two states prepare for the construction of this greatly-needed project.