IDOT to open road connecting East St. Louis with Interstate 70

Motorists will soon have a new road to connect to Interstate 70.

The Illinois Department of Transportation is opening a new spur, or connecting road, from East St. Louis at Riverpark Drive — near the Casino Queen — at 10 a.m. on Thursday.

The spur was built “to feed East St. Louis,” said Joseph G. Gasaway, a supervising field engineer for IDOT. Now, heavy truck traffic that commonly uses the Poplar Street Bridge will be able to drive north and use the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, Gasaway said.

The project, built in four phases over the last two-and-a-half years, cost $25 million, Gasaway said, adding that IDOT has plans to continue the spur south into Sauget, but those plans have not been finalized yet.

This story was originally published November 2, 2016 at 10:06 AM with the headline "IDOT to open road connecting East St. Louis with Interstate 70."