The Missouri Department of Transportation will close a section of Interstate 55 in south St. Louis city this weekend to remove the Holly Hills Bridge.

I-55 will be closed in both directions from Carondelet to 4500 Broadway from 9 p.m. Friday, April 15, until 5 a.m. Monday, April 18.

Motorists are encouraged to use I-44 as an alternate route. This work will not be affected by weather, according to a MoDOT news release.

This construction is part of the I-55 Bridge Replacement Project to remove and replace the Holly Hills and Delor Bridges. Both of them were built in the early 1960s and have deteriorated beyond the point of simply repairing the bridges, the release stated. The Delor Bridge remains closed and it was removed in mid-March. Both bridges are expected to reopen in early October 2011.

In south county, motorists using northbound I-270 from Gravois to I-44 are also advised of a triple lane closure from 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Sunday. Lanes are being shifted on northbound I-270 to prepare for construction repairs to the I-270 bridges over Rott Road and over I-44. This weekend’s work is weather permitting. Northbound I-270 traffic will remain shifted and have narrowed lanes for two months for this construction with a reduced work zone speed limit of 45 mph in place around the clock. Similar work will occur on southbound I-270 in June.