05.09.2008 1:57 pm
Jammed on I-270
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Highway officials have been watching the I-270/Highway 40 interchange since the big shutdown in January. It’s a major trouble spot.
The ramp from southbound I-270 to westbound Highway 40 (Interstate 64) “has significant backups in both morning and evening rush,” said Lesley Hoffarth, project director for the New I-64 project. “Despite message boards and striping, motorists continue to brake, switch lanes or just hesitate as they drive this ramp and that backs up the ramp.”
MoDOT will be restriping both the northbound and southbound I-270 ramps to westbound Highway 40, to make more room on the southbound ramp. This means the northbound ramp will have one lane. The work should be finished by the end of the month.
The real problem going south on I-270 in the morning is all the people that wait until the last minute to get over and exit onto westbound I-64/40, thus causing backups on southbound 270. So all four or five lanes get congested when only the far right lane really should be.