ST. LOUIS - If you drive Interstate 64 between Route 94 in St. Charles County and Interstate 270 in St. Louis County, you are not alone. As one of St. Louis' heaviest congested stretches of highway, the morning and evening peak drives can equate to significant delays to travel times Wouldn't it be great to know the worst time to travel and perhaps be able to adjust the timing of your trip to avoid it? MoDOT has done this analysis for you.
With ever increasing, time-delaying congestion on this stretch ofI-64, MoDOT traffic engineers have analyzed the morning and evening travel times on the stretch of I-64 from Route 94 to Spoede Road, east of I-270.The morning review focused on eastbound travel from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and the evening review focused on westbound travel from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Here are the results for the morning commute:* Travel times begin to slow down between 6:45 and 7 a.m.* The worst time to travel is between 7 and 7:45 a.m.* Travel times don't fully improve until after 8:30 a.m. especially at the slow down spot of eastbound I-64 between Route 141 and Mason Road.
Here are the results for the evening commute:* Travel times begin to slow down between 4 and 4:30 p.m.* The worst time to travel is between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.* Travel times don't fully improve until after 6 p.m. and continue to be slow over the Missouri River bridge, which has a reduced speed limit due to its narrow conditions.
"By knowing the worst time to travel, we are asking all I-64 drivers to consider adjusting their travel times to spread out the peak demand. By leaving 15 minutes earlier or waiting until closer to the end of the peak period, you could actually get to your destination faster," said Tom Blair, MoDOT assistant district engineer. "It's not feasible to widen the highway due to the extreme costs that it would entail, but we can all work together to spread out the demand on the road."
Beginning Tuesday, May 24, motorists on I-64 will notice messages on
the electronic message signs informing them of these worst travel times.
"Each month the data will be analyzed and we will provide the public with the most up to date information on the worst time to travel," said
Blair.
To see a full report on the I-64 travel analysis, visit www.modot.org/stlouis. The data represents normal conditions. Travel delays can be worse during inclement weather and as a result of crashes blocking lanes.
For real-time traffic information, visit MoDOT's traffic site at www.gatewayguide.com. On the site, you can sign up for personal email alerts to your mobile device or email on "MYSTLTRAFFIC". You can be informed of crashes and other incidents blocking the lanes of the interstate during the times of day you want to know about. |
