ST. CHARLES, Mo. (KMOX) -  MoDOT officials are nervously reminding commuters to steer clear of the Blanchette Bridge if they possibly can and use alternate routes 370 and 367.

This comes after Tuesday night’s traffic count showed I-70 traffic increasing over the eastbound span of the Blanchette, which is now carrying traffic in both directions as rehab work begins on the closed westbound bridge.

One MoDOT official calls avoiding the Blanchette and using the alternates the “right thing” for drivers to do to minimize delays like the ones that developed last night on the ramp from the Earth City Expressway onto westbound I-70.

They add that the worst problems occurred between 4:30 and 5:30 pm as nearly 5,000 vehicles attempted to squeeze across the Blanchette Bridge.