(abbreviated '''I-270''') makes up a large portion of the outer belt
Freeway in the
St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area. The western terminus of I-270 (actually is the southwest portion of freeway) is at the junction with
Interstate 55 in
Mehlville, Missouri ; the eastern terminus of the freeway is at the junction with I-70 north of
Troy, Illinois . The entire stretch of I-270 is 50.59 miles. The southern/western terminus is at
I-255 and
I-55 near
Mehlville ,
Missouri and the eastern/northern terminus is at
I-70 and
I-55 near
Troy ,
Illinois .
I-270 is the most traveled route in the St. Louis Area, especially after
UMB Bank Pavilion concerts, West County between I-44 and St. Charles Rock Road, Around I-170, during construction events. The "Dorsett Trap" is a highly dangerous spot and a major
Speed Trap zone.
There was traffic congestion at one point in North County around I-170 when one ramp at a time was repaired.
During the
Great Flood Of 1993 , that was the only bridge open from St. Louis to
Keokuk , and there was virtually 24/7 bottlenecks at the time, and there also was an auto show back in the 1980's when it closed down the highway. There was a major construction back in 1995 and ended in 1998 when I-270 was reformatted to modern standards in which the project started from Lilac Ave. to I-255. In 2002, there was a major chemical spill which forced detours and lengthy delays. It used to be known as I-870 around Edwardsville and Glen Carbon, but that has now changed to I-270, the current name: also, I-244, used to exist in West County.
