If you're headed to St. Louis, a new tool is now available to help find alternate routes around highway closures in the area, especially along the I-64 reconstruction project.

Map My Trip is a web-based travel information tool that will help motorists avoid construction related closures in the St. Louis area. When planning a trip to St. Louis, travelers can visit http://www.modot.org/stlouis and click on the Map My Trip feature.

After providing origin and destination locations, the program will offer an alternative route, directing motorists away from complete ramp, interchange or highway closures due to construction in St. Louis City and County.

 "Although this is not the first origin/destination tool available, it is different because it considers construction activities," said Missouri Department of Transportation St. Louis District Engineer Ed Hassinger. "The I-64 project is going to force many drivers onto different routes to get to their destinations.  Map My Trip provides simple street-by-street directions to get you around the closures on I-64 and all of our work in St. Louis."

Interstate 64 is being reconstructed in St. Louis County and City.  Construction began in March 2007 and will be complete in July 2010.  The interstate will be completely closed in 4 ½ mile sections in 2008 and 2009.  For more details on the I-64 project, visit http://www.thenewi64.org/.

Using Map My Trip, travel can be plotted from any origin or destination, but at this time accurate information on highway and ramp closures is limited to St. Louis City and St. Louis County. Although there is no formal timeline to make Map My Trip statewide, beginning with the St. Louis area is a start and could open the door to providing this unique tool to other regions across Missouri.

For street-by-street directions around closed construction work in St. Louis City and County, visit http://www.modot.org/stlouis.