Starting today, the entrance ramp on to the east bound lanes of Interstate 70 at the 63 MM exit will be closed for 10 days as the start of the new river bridge construction gets underway. That time is needed to construct the extra lane that will be needed while the eastbound lane bridge is under construction and is the time given to the contractor to get it completed. And, after that is completed, the east bound entrance ramp will re-open, but traffic will be reduced to one lane in both directions in that area. Vandalia Police Chief Jeff Ray says the city, along with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, the Vandalia Fire Department, Emergency Management and the Illinois Department of Transportation met to discuss some issues and concerns during that time. Chief Ray says there are concerns of how they would be able to access vehicles in the case of an accident thru that area. And, that is of particular concern because there were numerous accidents during the bridge construction on the west bound lanes when traffic was reduced to one lane. Meanwhile, Vandalia Mayor Rick Gottman has some concerns about the 55 miles per hour speed that will be allowed in the construction zone.
And, Gottman says there was also a rumor the exit would be closed for a much longer period of time. But, the exit will only be closed for a maximum of 10 days.
Again, the entrance ramp on to the east bound lane of Interstate 70 at the 63 MM exit is closed starting today.