Interstate 270

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Heavy traffic crushes Interstate 270 southbound in this scene facing north at Creve Couer. The ten to twelve lane freeway along this stretch garnered 173,721 vehicles per day in 2011. 05/03/12

Interstate 270 between I-55 at Mehlville and I-70 at Bridgeton was designated as Interstate 244 until 1974 and also the Circumferential Expressway. It was given the I-244 numbering in the early 1960s to correspond with traffic coming from Interstate 443 and completed in Missouri in 1967.4

Interstate 270 Missouri Guides

Work upgraded the full cloverleaf interchange between Interstate 270 and U.S. 40 (Interstate 64) between March 4, 19881 and December 7, 1993. Construction was projected to run for three to four years at a cost of $45 million, but ended a year later at $55.5 million.2 This project was similar to the upgrade at Interstate 70 undertaken in the early 1980s.1

A loop ramp from Interstate 270 north to Missouri Route 364 (Page Avenue) west (Exit 16) was replaced as part of a $22 million project. Completed July 23, 2011, construction added a new flyover to Page Avenue westbound and expanded I-270 north with an additional lane from Route 340 (Olive Boulevard) to Route 364 west.5 Further north, the interchange at Dorsett Road (Exit 17) was converted to a diverging diamond at a cost of $10 million by late 2010. This included the replacement of the I-270 overpasses above Dorsett Road.6

Variable speed limits were in use along Interstate 270 for three years to June 2011. Those were amended to become "advisory" speeds after a lukewarm reception by both the general public and law enforcement during their run.7

Expansion of I-270 added a fifth lane northbound between Interstate 44 and Dougherty Ferry Road by December 19, 2012. Southbound grew by a lane during construction in 2013. The $11.2 million project restriped the travel lanes from 12 feet to 11 feet to accommodate the added capacity where rock bluffs and bridge columns prevented an overall widening of the roadway.8

Interstate 270 scenes
U.S. 67 (Lindbergh Boulevard) southbound at Interstate 270 east in Hazelwood. 05/04/12

Sources:
  1. "ROAD PROJECT AT 40, I-270 SET TO BEGIN." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 13, 1988.
  2. "GO WEST...: WORK AT I-270, 40 NEARLY DONE." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 6, 1993.
  3. "The flip from I-270 to I-255 is a puzzler - Until the 1970s, the section between Interstate 70 and Interstate 55 was known as Interstate 244." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 27, 2011.
  4. "TWO-MILE STRETCH IN ST. CHARLES PAVED WAY FOR AMERICA'S INTERSTATE SYSTEM - HIGHWAYS SHORTENED DRIVES BUT WEAKENED CITIES." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2003.
  5. "New I-270 ramp to Page set to open today - It's expected to ease long-standing logjams on northbound freeway." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 23, 2011.
  6. "Traffic to shift at I-270, Dorsett - Detour - Narrow bridge with lower speed limit will likely divert motorists for 60 days, MoDOT says. - New interchange - Diverging-diamond design is first of kind in area; cost estimated at $10 million." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 18, 2010.
  7. "Changeable speed limits on I-270 to be 'advisory' - TRANSPORTATION - ALONG FOR THE RIDE." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 12, 2011.
  8. "Wider stretch on I-270 in works - Extra lanes between I-44 , Manchester will ease rush hour, MoDOT officials say." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 28, 2011.


Photo Credits:

05/04/12 by AARoads

Connect with:
Interstate 44
Interstate 55
Interstate 70
Interstate 170
Interstate 255
Route 364 - Page Avenue Extension
Route 370

Page Updated 12-11-2014.

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