Wet weather threatens delays for I-64 work

ST. LOUIS | Construction on one of the largest highway repair projects in Missouri history is struggling to stay on schedule as workers have had to battle one of the wettest springs in recent memory. A 5-mile stretch of Interstate 64 in St. Louis currently closed for repair and widening is scheduled to reopen by the end of the year. A second 5-mile stretch is to be completed in 2009. No matter how the weather behaves — there have been 80 days of rain or snow in the St. Louis area so far this year, according to the National Weather Service — those deadlines don’t change. That’s is causing headaches for Gateway Constructors, the team of contractors responsible for the I-64 work. Some bridge building is ahead of schedule, but laying a new road surface started a month later than expected because of the wet conditions. “You can... [read full story]