Cold delays work on East St. Louis ramp near Poplar Street Bridge
The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced yet another delay in the closure of one of the two outer lanes of eastbound Interstate 55/64 and the northbound Piggott Avenue ramp.
Originally set to begin on Feb. 1, the closure has now been postponed three times due to inclement weather conditions. The work is necessary, according to IDOT, to repair the expansion joints and to replace the surface of the bridge that carries I-55/64 over Trendley Avenue in East St. Louis.
IDOT officials announced Thursday that the lane closures are now set to begin Feb. 22, weather permitting.
“The work was originally scheduled to take place on Feb. 1, but was postponed due to inclement weather,’’ said Dawn Johnson, IDOT’s Region 5 Communications Outreach Liaison. “The contractor on this project is Keeley and Sons. Due to the expected extremely low temperatures, Keeley and Sons have postponed their start date to Feb.22.’’
When work does begin, the two inside lanes of eastbound I-55/64 will remain open to traffic. The work is expected to be completed by October, according to an IDOT release.
In the meantime, IDOT advises drivers to expect delays or find alternate routes and to pay close attention to changed conditions and signage in the work zones.
The work is part of a larger $29.8 million project, funded by Rebuild Illinois, to rehabilitate the bridges in the area.
