Travel on I-64 Changes with the Start of School

When it comes to traffic congestion, it continues to be one of the worst stretches of highway in the St. Louis area—I-64 between Highway 94 and I-270. And with the start of school, it hasn't gotten any better, reports the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT).

The most severe congestion starts earlier and lasts longer in the morning than in the summer months of June and July. Traffic engineers studied eastbound travel from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and westbound travel from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and report that, in the morning:

• Travel times begin to slow down between 7 and 7:15 a.m.
• The worst time to travel is between 7:15 and 8 a.m.
• Travel times don't fully improve until after 8:45 a.m. especially at the slow down spot of eastbound I-64 between Route 141 and Mason Road.

 During the evening commute:

• Travel times begin to slow down between 4:30 and 5 p.m.
• The worst time to travel is between 5 and 5:45 p.m.
• Travel times don't fully improve until after 6 p.m. especially at 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."

Motorists should also consider using other major highways to travel east and west including Route 364 to the north and I-44 to the south.  Carpooling and using mass transit are also encouraged to decrease congestion.

For real-time traffic information or to sign up for mobile alerts, visit MoDOT's traffic site.