Two lanes of northbound Interstate 55 will reopen to traffic by 5:30 p.m. December 31 at the Meramec River, mile marker 193, while all southbound lanes will remain closed with water over the highway, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. MODOT announced in a press release today that the southbound lanes have high levels of water covering the road and at this time there is no estimate on when that water will recede so the southbound lanes can open.
MODOT reports that Southbound I-55 traffic is closed at the I-270/I-255 interchange. Local traffic can get to Butler Hill road.Route 231 Telegraph Road and Route 61/67 Lemay Ferry are open to traffic in both directions across the Meramec River as well. Both directions of I-44 remain closed in St. Louis County. The closure is between I-270 in St. Louis County and Route 100 at Gray Summit in Franklin County due to flooding of the Meramec River at Route 141. Local traffic can get to Bowles Ave only. The closure is between mile marker 253 and 274. With many other roads closed in the St. Louis area, open roads are experiencing extreme congestion.
According to MODOT, motorists who must travel across Missouri are encouraged to use I-70 to I-49 in Kansas City to I-44 in Joplin, or the reverse depending on eastbound or westbound travel.
