Willow Springs, Mo. - The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has announced changes to ramp closures on Interstate 44, Phelps County. These ramp closures are between the Kingshighway (mile marker 184) and Sugar Tree exits (mile marker 176).

Weather permitting, contractor crews will begin work to mill and resurface the Kingshighway and Route E ramps between Oct. 19 and Oct. 21. This construction will require intermittent closures of these two ramps; only one of the two will be closed at a time. These ramps are scheduled to be open from October 22-October 26 for Missouri S & T homecoming. 

Scheduled ramp closures:

• Route T (Doolittle Exit) westbound onramp is closed and is scheduled to remain closed until November 22.
• Route E onramp in the westbound direction is expected to have intermittent closures between Oct. 19 and Oct. 21.
• Kingshighway westbound off-ramp will be closed intermittently between Oct. 19 and Oct. 21.
• Sugar Tree off-ramp is scheduled to close for approximately 2 days in late October.

Traffic between the Kingshighway (mile marker 184) and Sugar Tree exits (mile marker 176) is scheduled to remain head to head until November 22, with posted speed restrictions. Motorists are urged to use alternate routes whenever possible.

According to South Central Assistant District Engineer Jeff Johnson, once the westbound lanes close, delays are expected to significantly increase. "With the westbound lanes closed, motorists can expect minimum delays of 45-60 minutes during peak travel periods," he said.  Peak travel times for this area include Friday and Sunday afternoons from 2 p.m to 7 p.m.

Alternate routes include:

• From Branson: Follow Route 65 North to Route 60 East, take Route 63 North to bypass the construction area.
• St. Louis to the Lake of the Ozarks: Follow Route 50 West to Route 54 South.
• From St. Louis to Branson: Follow Interstate 44 to Route 63 South, Take Route 60 West to Route 65 South.

The closure of the westbound lanes is necessary to construct 8" of concrete overlay on the 9.076 miles included in the resurfacing project. This project does involve lane reduction and while working, crews will be on or near the roadway. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution when traveling through the area.

Motorists can receive instant updates on this project by viewing the MoDOT Traveler Information Map or have updates emailed to them through our e-updates system at http://www.modot.org/.

For additional information regarding this or other transportation-related topics, call the MoDOT Customer Service Center, toll-free at 1-888-ASK MoDOT (275-6636). Customers also may email the center at d9csc@modot.mo.gov. Transportation information is available online at www.modot.org/southcentral

###