It’s really smart to gauge time of departure and arrival into St. Louis based on rush hour traffic. Long time residents of the metro area advise taking I-44 to I-70 east or west, depending on the direction you’re coming from.

The Poplar Street Bridge carries I-55, I-64 and U.S. 40 across the Mississipi River. You’ll see the famous Gateway Arch while crossing this bridge, but don’t travel on it at rush hour because it can set you back from arriving at your destination. I-270 is an extremely busy highway that quickly gets congested-if possible bypass this exchange and travel another route, for instance, I-40.

A network of freeways form “The Alphabet Loop” as you get closer to St. Louis. Just follow the I-70 signs, posted on the bridge.

When entering the city of St. Louis, motorists will encounter express lanes. Fluctuations of traffic patterns are due to the Interstate 64 reconstruction, so be alert to any road instructions. These lanes have no entrance or exit ramps, except at the ends.

This is why it is always best to do a little bit of research before you actually go on your trip so you become familiar with everything you actually have out there in the city. This allows you to plan wisely and save money in the process if this is really something that you want to do. Planning smart is the best way to enjoy your trip and still be able to do everything that you actually want to do while you are there.

St. Louis is such an amazing city filled with many things to do and see. This is one of the reasons why you should really consider using public transportation whether it be the bus, train, or taxi when you get there. You really won’t have to travel too far to get to the place that you are trying to go. If you still decide on renting a vehicle, then there is nothing wrong with that at all. You just need to make sure that you are comfortable with the city and that you know where everything is at before time.

I-270 – Goes around the city and meets up with I-255 in Illinois to form a loop
I-170 – Connects I-270, I-70 and I-64 and runs north to south
I-64 – Runs right through the city from east to west
I-44 – Runs into the city from the southwest
I-70 – Also runs through the heart of St Louis from east to west
I-55 – Goes through the city from north to south
US-61 – Runs with I-64 from the west then turns south and runs with US-67
US-50 – Runs from the west in to the outside southern part of the city following I-44 and US-61
US-67 – Runs outside the city from north to south
US-40 – Goes straight through the city running with I-64 from east to west

During high traffic times, such as Rush Hour, it is better to us the I-270/I-255 loop to avoid the heaviest traffic flow areas. Another tip for traveling around Saint Louis is to get to know the local routes and roadways. This will help when trying to get around when there is a major back up due to an accident or construction.

It is easy to explore St. Louis by car. The Midwest location makes St. Louis relatively easy to get to from anywhere in the United States. St. Louis is an easy place to navigate and not over crowded, so traveling by car is simple. St. Louis also displays many signs to direct visitors towards the popular areas of the city.

If you aren’t using a vehicle, the city provides a light rail system. This can be boarded directly from the airport and it connects to many hot spots in the city. The MetroLink transportation system is a great alternative to driving. If you want to visit an area the light rail cannot take you, try the high quality MetroBus instead.

Sight seeing in Saint Louis is a breeze with these three options. Make use of the great roads yourself or try out the public transportation system. Have fun traveling the wonderful city of St. Louis.

The Interstate highway I-70 crosses the city east to west. Interstate highway I-55 runs north-south along the Mississippi River. Interstate highway I-64 branches off from I-70 in Wentzville, Missouri farther west and crosses downtown St. Louis, then continues into southern Illinois. Interstate highway I-44 ends in downtown St. Louis as it comes in from the southwest.

Local bypass interstate connectors include I-255 and I-270. These allow traffic to go around the busy downtown area when going from one interstate highway to another. Interstate I-255 runs through the Illinois suburbs such as East St. Louis and Washington Park. Interstate I-270 passes across the western suburbs on the Missouri side, such as Maryland Heights and Kirkwood.

St. Louis is easy to navigate, thanks to brightly colored attraction corridor signage guiding visitors to the main attractions. Grand Avenue runs to the Grand Center Arts and Entertainment district. Broadway goes to the Gateway Arch, Scottrade Center, and Edward Jones Dome. Kingshighway Boulevard carries visitors to the Missouri History Museum