The northbound lane on S. Big Bend at Manchester is set to open by the end of the week, St. Louis County Departments of Transportation and Public Works Public Information Manager David Wrone emailed all St. Louis County employees Monday afternoon. One of those forwarded it to 40 South News.
There were two emails. The first said the lane is open now:
A northbound lane on Big Bend – immediately south of Manchester Road and closed since April – has reopened in Maplewood.
The lane was closed as part of a St. Louis County project to build a new right turn lane from northbound Big Bend onto eastbound Manchester. Our contractor broke ground on April 18, 2018.
Although unavoidable, the closure has created substantial traffic flow problems both for Big Bend drivers motoring north across Manchester and those turning right (east) from northbound Big Bend onto Manchester. Work should have finished by late summer/early autumn.
However, two major utility issues significantly delayed progress on the job. The first involved the discovery of a series of subterranean conduits for which no utility companies would initially claim ownership. It took several weeks before AT&T admitted that the pipes were theirs, at which time the conduits were safely removed. The second issue involved the unexpected need to uproot and relocate 200 feet of Laclede Gas pipes. Prior to the start of work, we believed that these pipes were buried deeper than they actually were. But upon excavating the ground for the new turning lane, we learned otherwise; the pipes lay IN what would be the new lane.
David G. Wrone
Public Information Manager
St. Louis County Departments of Transportation and Public Works
Creve Coeur, MO
Per a following email from Wrone, the lane isn’t open yet, but will open by the end of the week:
The new, right turn lane from northbound Big Bend onto eastbound Manchester Road – the construction of which prompted the closure of the thru lane – is not yet open, but is expected to be by week’s end.
This is great news! Noticed traffic on Shrewsbury Ave. already a lot better this morning. Now lets pave Big Bend from Manchester to Hwy 40.
I noticed that there are two lanes open North bound. The new right hand turn lane isn’t open yet.
According to the email, the turn lane should be open by the end of the week.
Thanks for the good news.
I didn’t realize it was only since April of this year – seems more like years or decades have gone by – the traffic was messed-up in a major way – businesses and motorists will breathe a sigh of relief –
I think it has been “messed up” back and forth longer than that! A CONSTANT issue where I live.