I-270 in Illinois and Missouri is considered part of the 4 state "I-70 Corridor of the Future", which is still in talks. This obviously includes both the canal and river bridges, which is the Mississippi River crossing that the corridor favors. Trucks have favored the I-270 alignment around St. Louis ever since it opened up between 1964-1966, and IDOT did major work between 1996-1998 to reflect this. MoDOT has mentioned that various overpasses in the North County area is at the end of their useful life, as the majority of them are approaching 50 years old. Almost every westbound exit dumps you right onto Dunn Road, which is still a two-way highway, which is a big safety issue. The intersections with West Florissant and New Halls Ferry have major congestion due to the traffic light timings, and the Lindbergh interchange is slated for work.
About 20% of the current AADT of 54,700 on the COR Bridge is truck traffic. This been a route preferred by truckers for a very long time, to the point that only 10% of the roughly 116,000 AADT on the Poplar St. Bridge is truck traffic. The EW Gateway has a 2020 projection of 65,000 AADT for the COR Bridge.
Besides the canal bridge replacement project, the only other major work slated in Illinois is the interchange with Route 3. Given the proximity of those two, it will not be a surprise if both projects are done at the same time.
It appears that 2012 will be a very rough year if all the talk holds up.
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