Hwy. 141 reopens at I-44 following flood-related closure

VALLEY PARK, Mo. – After two days of closures and detours, the Missouri Department of Transportation has reopened the intersection of Highway 141 and Interstate 44, relieving the traffic issues that have formed in the area.

Flooding had covered up the intersection earlier in the week after heavy rain over the weekend.

MoDOT crews used street sweepers to push away the final standing water Friday, allowing traffic to resume.

Businesses and homes along Hwy. 141 had been frustrated by the maze of orange cones and the crowded detour down Bowles Ave.

Alicia Wampler, a stylist at Headliners Salon, said the closure caused confusion and delays for both customers and employees all week.

“The traffic and everything causes confusion for everyone trying to reroute and delays in the same direction,” Wampler said, noting that some of her clients had driven nearly an hour to get to the salon.

The shutdown marked the second time since fall that floodwaters overtook the intersection. For residents and business owners, the repeated disruptions have become a growing frustration.

“It keeps happening again and again,” one customer said.

In 2018, MoDOT completed a $25 million the intersection to improve traffic flow and reduce flash flooding.

Michelle Forneris, assistant district engineer for MoDOT, said the project had successfully reduced the frequent flash-floods that closed off the intersection several times a year.

“Those improvements we have made are for those daily occurrences associated with traffic delays,” Forneris said.

This week’s flooding, however, was due to a rare weather event and the flooding of the Meramec River. Forneris said that the water issues in the intersection were directly tied to the backlog of water in low-lying areas along the river.

She said that the solution, raising Hwy. 141 out of the flood plain, would be cost-prohibitive.

“That would be a significant millions and millions of dollar project to raise the roadways in order to avoid Meramec River flooding,” she said.

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