I-55 solution makes sense for long term

On the evening of May 15, vehicles backed up on Interstate 55 from the Diversion Channel bridge all the way north to U.S. 61. It was a traffic jam to more than rival a St. Louis rush hour.

The problem: Only one southbound lane of I-55 was open over the Diversion Channel bridge due to reconstruction work. That project had been causing minor traffic problems for months anyway.

But then Highway 74 at the Dutchtown exit was closed down due to floodwater over the road, cutting off the last decent detour option drivers had before reaching the bridge.

And a temporary levee across the intersection where Highways 74 and 25 and Route A come together really put drivers in a pickle. Then they couldn't even take Route K out of Cape Girardeau to Highway 25 and get around the mess that way.

Commuters reported up to two-hour waits on southbound I-55. Countless appointments and meetings scheduled south of the construction had to be canceled because the parties couldn't get to them in time. Some Scott City residents, trying to get home from Cape Girardeau, actually drove over to Illinois, drove south on Highway 3 to Interstate 57 and came back up I-55 to their homes rather than sit in the traffic. They did that for a drive that, under normal circumstances, would only take about 10 minutes.

At least, these long-suffering motorists said, they were getting somewhere instead of sitting in stalled traffic.

But the truly baffling part of the story was how long it took the Missouri Department of Transportation to address the issue.

The traffic backed up again the next day. Some said it was even worse.

Officials with the Cape Girardeau Police Department became the calm voices of reason, pleading with the highway department to open two southbound lanes for afternoon rush hour. Congratulations to them for stepping up with a solution.

The traffic backed up again May 17. Finally, on May 18, MoDOT opted to use the shoulder and open two southbound and two northbound lanes.

The traffic flow wasn't normal, but it was much better.

And now that the water is off Highways 74 and 25, both of those roads are open again.

So the question becomes: Will MoDOT take I-55 back down to three lanes -- with only one southbound lane -- at the Diversion Channel?

Although there is some concern about the strength of the shoulder temporarily being used as a driving lane, MoDOT officials should give serious consideration to keeping things the way they are for as long as possible. Properly placed signs already remind truckers and other big vehicles to stay in the left lane rather than put too much burden on the temporary shoulder lane.

There's no need to inconvenience southbound motorists if this simple solution stays in place.