Bypassing the Poplar: Other ways to get across the river

With the Missouri Department of Transportation scheduled to close an additional ramp off the Poplar Street Bridge, there are some ways to get to and around downtown St. Louis from Illinois.

Beginning Thursday, the Missouri Department of Transportation plans to close the westbound ramp from the Poplar Street Bridge to southbound I-55 and westbound I-44 for a month.

The ramp is slated to be replaced with a two-lane ramp, according to the project website. Workers also are resurfacing the westbound lanes of the PSB.

Here are some ways to get to and around downtown St. Louis from Illinois.

▪  Stan Musial Veterans Bridge: Take I-70 west, cross the bridge and take the exit toward Tucker Boulevard.

▪  The Martin Luther King: Take I-64 west to the Martin Luther King Bridge. That will bring drivers to Convention Plaza in St. Louis. Motorists also may turn onto Third Street.

▪  The Eads Bridge: Take Illinois 15 West to Riverpark Drive in East St. Louis and follow the road over the Eads Bridge. The bridge brings motorists to Washington Avenue in the downtown.

▪  How to get to I-44 and southbound I-55? Drivers can take I-64 westbound over the Poplar Street Bridge to the Market Street exit. Make a left onto Market Street, then a left onto Jefferson Avenue and then merge onto I-44. Take I-44 eastbound to merge onto I-55.

▪  Beginning Monday, drivers will be able to exit off of the Poplar Street Bridge to go east on I-44. Motorists also will be able to exit off of I-44 east at Washington Avenue, and make a U-turn to merge onto westbound I-44.

The Poplar Street Bridge has between 105,000 and 110,000 vehicles daily, said Andrew Gates, MoDOT spokesman.

“We love to have people use alternate routes, and find different ways to go,” Gates said. “We find that some people would rather go the way they know. There are lots of options. People should find the option that works for them.”

Metro spokeswoman Patti Beck said the transit agency doesn’t have extra service along MetroLink because of the bridge work but does monitor stations to see if there is extra service needed.

There always is extra service for Cardinal games and other special events, Beck said.

“We certainly continue to encourage customers ... on social media to think of us as a good option,” Beck said. “Hop on the MetroLink ... Don’t worry about sitting in traffic and the stress.”

This story was originally published May 27, 2015 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Bypassing the Poplar: Other ways to get across the river."