Drivers should avoid Interstate-44 near the Midtown area of city of St. Louis this weekend. All lanes of the interstate between Vandeventer and Jefferson avenues will be closed while the overpass at Grand Boulevard is demolished.

Lane closures will begin 8 p.m. Friday. Transportation officials say drivers should use I-70, I-64 or I-55, instead, to travel through the city.

The closure may affect travel to the Cardinals’ games at Busch Stadium this weekend, but Michelle Voegele of the Missouri Department of Transportation said conflict was unavoidable.

“We understand that there are Cardinals games, but even next weekend or the weekend after that there are a ton of events in downtown St. Louis, so we try to work around all those events and do our best to mitigate traffic,” Voegele said.

Local residents can expect restricted access to the interstate on Grand Boulevard. The westbound exit to I-44 will be closed to travelers headed west and the east exit will be closed to southbound traffic. Ramps to the interstate will also be closed at Vandeventer and Jefferson avenues.

The Missouri Department of Transportation recommends that local residents use Gravois, Chouteau, Jefferson and Vandeventer avenues as detours for Grand Boulevard.

Officials expect to reopen the interstate by 5 a.m. Monday. However, construction on the bridge, which is set to be fully replaced, will continue through December.

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