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MoDOT's entire phone system is down today.

Officials say crews are working to repair the technical failure, but there is no estimate for when service will be restored. This outage affect all MoDOT offices in the state.

Motorists with emergencies should call 911.

 

Cyclists and drivers in St. Louis are being asked to do their part to make our roads safer.  

Monday morning local leaders kicked off the "Safe Roads for All" initiative. It's a call for drivers and cyclists to follow the rules of the road. 

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson says St. Louis ranks 2nd in the state when it comes to cycling-related deaths.

It was a year ago when Susan Scott's son Sam was killed while riding his bicycle. "He was killed by a drunk driver february 2012 coming home from work...it was his main mode of transport."

Sam is among many millenials, young people 25-35 years old, who choose  to use their bicycle as their main mode of transportation. The safe roads initiative is a cooperative effort by the people at Trailnet, MODOT, METRO and city police.

 Ann Mack, CEO of Trailnet; Ed Hassinger, MoDOT's District Engineer for St. Louis region; John Nations, President & CEO of Bi-State Development Agency – the parent company of Metro Transit; Chief Sam Dotson, Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis and mother Susan Scott,  whose son was hit and killed by a drunk driver last year while commuting on his bicycle all stressed the need for cyclists and pedestrians need to understand that they have primary responsibility for their own safety. They said the  motoring public also has a responsibility to share the road in a safe and courteous manner with these vulnerable road users.

 Trailnet and MoDOT then lead a group of cyclists on a safety ride downtown.  Metro Transit workers lead a group of pedestrians over to the Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink Station to take the train downtown. 

   

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Amid the risk of losing millions of dollars in federal transportation funding, Missouri lawmakers are considering changes to rules for commercial driver's licenses.

State House members this week gave initial approval to legislation that seeks to comply with federal regulations dealing with learning permits for commercial driver's licenses and with restrictions on texting and using hand-held cellphones while driving a commercial vehicle.

The Missouri Transportation Department says the state could lose $30 million for one year and $60 million annually after that if it doesn't act quickly enough.

The legislation needs another round of approval in the House before it can move to the Senate. Lawmakers have until their mandatory adjournment on May 17 to approve new legislation.

Drivers headed through downtown on 64 should be aware of a planned closure.

MoDOT plans to shut down the highway in both directions at Jefferson Avenue so crews can tear down the overpass. The closures will start tonight between 7 and 8 PM, but the highway should reopen by Monday morning rush.

 

Heads up for drivers heading into and out of downtown this weekend. I-64 will be closed in both directions between Jefferson Avenue and Hampton starting at 8pm Friday night.

The Jefferson Avenue bridge over the highway will also close at 1 am Friday, as MoDOT crews work to remove the bridge and replace it.

The Jefferson Avenue bridge is more than 50-years old. It will be replaced with a wider, more well-lit bridge with wider sidewalks and bike lanes.

Eastbound traffic along Highway 40 will be forced to exit at Hampton Avenue and take I-44 into the city.

Westbound traffic will be diverted onto the 2100 Market Street exit and then onto Forest Park Parkway.

All ramps and lanes are schedule to be opened by 5am Monday. And don't worry about the weather: MoDOT says the work will be done rain or shine. 

 

   The organization spearheading the effort to revamp the grounds around the Gateway Arch say the project is progressing well.  

   In it's third "report to the community," presented Tuesday night, CityArchRiver detailed MoDOT's construction time line for the planned "lid" over the I-70 depressed section. The agency says construction will begin this summer.  

   The finished "park over the highway" will connect the Arch grounds to downtown St. Louis.  Presenters also thanked the audience for passing Proposition P, a sales tax that will be used to help finance the project.  

   CityArchRiver also released new renderings for the plan to revamp the museum under the Arch.  You can see those images on their website.

JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has selected Dave Nichols to serve as the director of the Missouri Department of Transportation. Nichols has served as interim MoDOT director since March 21. He has been with the department for more than 29 years.

“Dave Nichols has the talent, skills, and experience needed to be a successful leader for MoDOT,” said Commission Chairman Joe Carmichael. “The commission has unanimously agreed that a prolonged search for a new director was unnecessary, as the right person for the job was already here.”

Nichols assumed the interim director position after the resignation of Kevin Keith, who left MoDOT on March 21 for a medical leave of absence.

Nichols has held a variety of leadership roles in the department, including his work as chief engineer and as the department’s first director of program delivery. He has also served as district engineer for the department’s Northwest District headquartered in St. Joseph and worked in MoDOT’s Kansas City District.

“The commission has full confidence in Dave’s ability to tackle the significant transportation challenges Missouri is facing,” said Carmichael. “His dedication and innovation will help Missouri maintain its status as a leader in transportation.”

Even more lanes will be closed on the Blanchette Bridge Tuesday.

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Crews close one Westbound lane and start pothole repair at 9 AM Tuesday. After they finish the Westbound work, they will close one eastbound lane for pavement repairs. All work is expected to be done by noon. The additional lane closures, will leave only two lanes open to drivers.

MoDOT is closing all lanes of I-64/Highway 40 in both directions between Hampton and the Forest Park Avenue/Grand Ave Exit (Exit 38A) starting at 8 p.m. tonight, (Friday) March 29. The lanes will reopen by 3 a.m. on Monday. 

There will be blasting tomorrow morning at 7am and 8am. Crews will be relocating several utilities underneath the roadway.

It's all part of a project to replace four bridges over the highway and to construct a new interchange at Tower Grove and Boyle.

MODOT's Drew Gates says. the detour for traffic heading west, you're going to take Forest Park Avenue till you get to Kingshighway, take Kingshighway, left on Kingshighway, and then get back on westbound 64. if you're going east from St. Louis County to downtown, your detour will be to take Hampton down to 44 and then just follow 44 all the way back up to the Poplar Street Bridge. "

ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Department of Transportation and its contractor, Fred Weber Inc., will close all lanes and ramps of Interstate 64 in both directions downtown between Hampton and Forest Park Parkway at 8 p.m. Friday, March 29. The closure is weather permitting.

While the interstate is closed, crews will relocate several utilities under the roadway as part of a project to construct a new interchange at Tower Grove and Boyle and replace four bridges over the interstate. The ramps from McCausland/Skinker, Hampton and Kingshighway to eastbound I-64 will be closed during this time. In addition, the ramps from Pine, Jefferson, Market and Grand to westbound I-64 will be closed during this time.

Crews will reopen the interstate and all ramps by 3 a.m. Monday, April 1.

The detour for westbound I-64 will be to get off the interstate at the Forest Park Avenue exit (exit 38A) and follow Forest Park Avenue to Kingshighway. After turning left onto Kingshighway, drivers will follow Kingshighway back to the interstate. The detour for eastbound I-64 will be to get off the interstate at the Hampton Avenue exit (exit 34B), turn right on Hampton and follow it to eastbound Interstate 44. Drivers can then take I-44 to the Poplar Street Bridge. Detour maps are available on-line at http://tinyurl.com/i64detour0113

Washington University in St. Louis and BJC HealthCare have partnered with the department on the project. Construction is expected to continue until July 2014.