Traffic has been disrupted in parts of downtown St. Louis for several weeks – and not for the usual reasons.
A 30-foot-deep sinkhole forced the closure of portions of Interstates 44 and 70 in mid-June, with no reopening timeline provided at the time.
The sinkhole started with a leak in a 100-year-old water main, according to local utility officials.
In addition to the traffic issues, a sewer main was also damaged, prompting local officials to alert neighboring areas.
The collapse of the road below the I-44/I-70 overpass exposed bridge footings that support the interstate.
“Our city streets are safe and structurally sound. I don’t have concerns,” Spencer Gould, deputy commissioner of the St. Louis Water Division, told KSDK-TV. “Unfortunately, these are unforeseen and unpredictable issues – so our responsibility, and what we can do, is to respond to them as quickly as we can.”
Traffic update
The Missouri Department of Transportation announced that a portion of the roads closed due to the sinkhole have reopened.
MoDOT said the work to support the bridge column exposed by the recent water and sewer breaks under I-44 was completed in late June.
However, local utility and water departments are still completing necessary work, meaning the following closures remain in place:
- Eastbound I-70 express lanes are closed at Union Boulevard.
- Broadway Exit (292B) from westbound I-44 will remain closed.
- Broadway is closed in both directions north of Biddle. This restricts access to the eastbound I-44 on-ramp.
Work to fill in the sinkhole is ongoing, so utility crews can reach damaged utilities, but a completion date for the sinkhole repairs is still unknown.
Real-time traffic information is available on this Land Line resources page.
The Missouri DOT repaired damaged median barrier walls and the bridge deck, replaced bridge joint seals and flushed drainage systems, among other repairs, during the closure. LL
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