does anyone take page out of the city who works in the county? methinks this will be a viable option when the closing happens. the low traffic ive been experiencing is without a doubt influenced by the holidays, however.
Just a comment. I know MODOT has been tooting their horn that the new Compton overpass will be a model for the designs used on the new 40 project. But after looking, that is such a pathetic new bridge. Does MODOT really belive that sticking a name in cement on the overpass and a few decorative lights above really constitue the type of attention to detail and high quality designs people have enjoyed for over 60 years on the current highways 40 west of Brentwood?
If that is what the new 40 will look like, then 40 will look like cr@p...
If that is what the new 40 will look like, then 40 will look like cr@p...
jmedwik, I agree with you. The bridge in the floodplain that is called Chesterfield Valley is more impressive than the Compton bridge.
Perhaps they build more impressive bridges out in Chesterfield because nothing else out there is impressive.
- 1,054
Seriously, it's the financing.
Chesterfield allocates money in tandem with available state monies for decorating their bridge. If Chesterfield wants a nicer bridge they put up the money to do so. However, it does seem odd to decorate this bridge as opposed the many others like Mason, 141, Chesterfield Parkway, etc.
Chesterfield allocates money in tandem with available state monies for decorating their bridge. If Chesterfield wants a nicer bridge they put up the money to do so. However, it does seem odd to decorate this bridge as opposed the many others like Mason, 141, Chesterfield Parkway, etc.
If that really is the issue, then I expect some decent bridges along the new 40. I would think that Ladue and Frontenac at the very least would be willing to spend a big of cash to see some high quality bridges and sound walls built in their borders. I mean, they spend enough on stop signs and stop lights.
- 2,005
The fancy decorations on the bridge in the Chesterfield Valley was paid for by the developer of the 'World's Biggest Stripmall', not Chesterfield. MoDOT likely had a part in paying for the overpass itself.
I won't be able to attend because I live in another state, but for any others who care about how the new I-64 will be designed, these meetings might be a good place to demand better design work than the average MODOT project.
Gateway Constructors to Hold I-64 Public Meetings:
The Gateway Constructors team will be hosting three public open house meetings to discuss their plans for the reconstruction of Interstate 64. All three meetings will have the same information, so please attend the meeting most convenient to you.
Meetings will include information on the design of the road and interchanges, the construction schedule and a chance to meet the Gateway Constructors team.
All meetings held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. A brief presentation will be given at 5 and 6 p.m. The meetings are scheduled as follows:
Tuesday, January 30, James S. McDonnell Planetarium in the southeast corner of Forest Park
Tuesday, February 6, Brentwood Middle School cafeteria at 2221 High School Drive off Litzinger
Tuesday, February 13, St. Louis County Library at 1640 S. Lindbergh across from Plaza Frontenac.
- 2,005
Work on I-170 starts next month, Kingshighway is April. Here's the press release:
January 22, 2007
Contact: Dan Galvin
Public Information Manager
Gateway Constructors
612-490-6745
2007 Construction Schedule Announced for I-64
ST LOUIS -- Work is about to begin on the reconstruction of Interstate 64. Gateway Constructors is announcing the construction schedule for 2007. Gateway Constructors is the contractor hired by the Missouri Department of Transportation to rebuild 10 miles of I-64 and connect the freeway to Interstate 170.
February
House demolition starting in Sheridan Hills, northeast corner of I-170 and I-64.
March
I-170 from Galleria Parkway to I-64 reduced from three lanes to two lanes in each direction and lanes shifted to the west.
Ramps on south side of Galleria Parkway closed permanently
Hanley Road ramps going to westbound I-64 closed due to construction of new ramp from westbound I-64 to northbound I-170
April
Kingshighway reduced from three lanes to two lanes in each direction lanes shifted to east side of bridge and all ramp movements remain open
Bridge closures later in 2007 include Tamm Avenue, Bellevue Avenue, Boland Avenue, and Highland Terrace.
?We?re getting started. Over the next few weeks we'll finalize many more details in the project schedule, and then we'll be ready to let people know more of the specifics,? said George Harvey, Project Manager for Gateway Constructors. ?But we felt it was important to let people know now what was coming so that they can begin to make plans and figure out alternate routes on how to get around.?
People with questions about the project can attend one of three public open house meetings, the first of which will be held on Tuesday, January 30, at the James S. McDonnell Planetarium. Representatives of Gateway Constructors and MoDOT will be available to discuss preliminary construction plans and other exhibits. Additional open house meetings will take place February 6 at Brentwood Middle School Cafeteria, and February 13 at the St. Louis County Public Library on Lindbergh Boulevard, across from Plaza Frontenac. All three meetings will take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
This work is all part of a $420 million freeway reconstruction contract awarded to Gateway Constructors by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission in December. The project will completely reconstruct I-64 from west of Spoede Road to east of Kingshighway Boulevard, a distance of about 10 miles. It will create a freeway-to-freeway interchange at I-170; rebuild all 12 interchanges. One lane will also be added in each direction from west of Spoede Road to I-170.
Motorists are advised to consider alternate routes, flex their working hours, carpool, ride MetroLink or Metro bus.
Stay informed about the project and sign up for email updates at www.thenewi64.org
January 22, 2007
Contact: Dan Galvin
Public Information Manager
Gateway Constructors
612-490-6745
2007 Construction Schedule Announced for I-64
ST LOUIS -- Work is about to begin on the reconstruction of Interstate 64. Gateway Constructors is announcing the construction schedule for 2007. Gateway Constructors is the contractor hired by the Missouri Department of Transportation to rebuild 10 miles of I-64 and connect the freeway to Interstate 170.
February
House demolition starting in Sheridan Hills, northeast corner of I-170 and I-64.
March
I-170 from Galleria Parkway to I-64 reduced from three lanes to two lanes in each direction and lanes shifted to the west.
Ramps on south side of Galleria Parkway closed permanently
Hanley Road ramps going to westbound I-64 closed due to construction of new ramp from westbound I-64 to northbound I-170
April
Kingshighway reduced from three lanes to two lanes in each direction lanes shifted to east side of bridge and all ramp movements remain open
Bridge closures later in 2007 include Tamm Avenue, Bellevue Avenue, Boland Avenue, and Highland Terrace.
?We?re getting started. Over the next few weeks we'll finalize many more details in the project schedule, and then we'll be ready to let people know more of the specifics,? said George Harvey, Project Manager for Gateway Constructors. ?But we felt it was important to let people know now what was coming so that they can begin to make plans and figure out alternate routes on how to get around.?
People with questions about the project can attend one of three public open house meetings, the first of which will be held on Tuesday, January 30, at the James S. McDonnell Planetarium. Representatives of Gateway Constructors and MoDOT will be available to discuss preliminary construction plans and other exhibits. Additional open house meetings will take place February 6 at Brentwood Middle School Cafeteria, and February 13 at the St. Louis County Public Library on Lindbergh Boulevard, across from Plaza Frontenac. All three meetings will take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
This work is all part of a $420 million freeway reconstruction contract awarded to Gateway Constructors by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission in December. The project will completely reconstruct I-64 from west of Spoede Road to east of Kingshighway Boulevard, a distance of about 10 miles. It will create a freeway-to-freeway interchange at I-170; rebuild all 12 interchanges. One lane will also be added in each direction from west of Spoede Road to I-170.
Motorists are advised to consider alternate routes, flex their working hours, carpool, ride MetroLink or Metro bus.
Stay informed about the project and sign up for email updates at www.thenewi64.org
- 70
February
House demolition starting in Sheridan Hills, northeast corner of I-170 and I-64.
This has already begun.
I-64 fears rev up
By Elisa Crouch
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/18/2007
Nina Miller of Glen Carbon is house hunting.
Driving her sons to schools in Ladue and Clayton means she and her husband make daily weekday treks down Highway 40 (Interstate 64) — a route that will be under construction until late 2009. She wants to move to University City or Olivette to avoid the mess.
"Those of us who spend our lives in the car are terrified we won't be able to go anywhere," Miller said.
With nine months left until major lane closings, the anxiety over the "New I-64" project can already be felt across the region, in human resource departments, in school district offices and at breakfast tables like Miller's.
Businesses are adjusting work schedules. Zoo officials are readying to protect animals from the noise. Real estate agents are marketing "city homes" to wealthy West County residents who might want a weekday place closer to downtown.
Drivers are sweating.
On Monday, the clock officially starts ticking.
A gold shovel will break ground on the $535 million rebuilding effort. And within a few weeks, the traffic nightmare of rebuilding about 10 miles of the interstate will become painfully real, as ramps start to close, bridges start to come down, and two years of total shutdowns draw closer.
This year, lane closings should not be incredibly disruptive. The major pain will be felt in 2008 and 2009, when all lanes will close in the western half of the corridor between Interstate 170 and Spoede Road. Once they reopen, all lanes close on the eastern half, between Kingshighway and I-170.
That means for two years, Terry Frank of Creve Coeur won't be able to use Highway 40 as his straight shot downtown.
"I have no clue how I'm going to get to work," said Frank, managing director of Century Securities. "It's going to take two to three times longer to get back and forth."
The momentum to rebuild Highway 40 started 15 years ago. Built between the 1930s and 1960s, the roadbed in some places is crumbling, highway officials say. Its tight-loop ramps were built for cars traveling no faster than 45 mph. Many of its bridges have deteriorated to the point they're one inspection point from being forced to close.
Funding fell into place in 2005.
Gateway Constructors, the team of firms doing the work, proposed closing sections of the interstate for two years as the fastest way to get the work done.
"It's two years of partial closures versus six years of construction if we maintained two lanes in each direction," Gateway spokesman Dan Galvin said.
Many people who travel Highway 40 say they're not panicked, but they're making plans.
Some businesses have been planning for months.
Executives at Commerce Bank's main office in Clayton, for one, are considering flex time, four-day work weeks, telecommuting and satellite offices for employees. Of course, there are limits to how much flexibility they can offer to some employees, particularly those required to be in the bank dealing with customers during business hours.
"We're looking at all jobs, but some jobs are more limited in their options,'' said Diane Kroner, the bank's employee relations manager.
In the Central West End, condos are being marketed as investment properties for West County residents who work downtown or in Clayton, and have the money for a weekday residence closer to work, said Carole McCabe, regional vice president for Coldwell Banker Gundaker.
"People are looking for condos, lofts, some kind of worry-free living that will give them the opportunity to not battle Highway 40 every day," she said.
At the St. Louis Zoo, animals will be exposed to dust and noise. The Tamm Avenue overpass, adjacent to the Zoo's south parking lot, will implode this spring.
Director William Boever said Zoo workers will handle the noise like they do fireworks.
"We have buildings for many of our animals, we can bring them inside," he said. "We have radios we can turn up louder, so music is playing, and so it's not as startling."
Some private schools and public districts are talking about adjusting schedules.
At Clayton schools, "It's going to impact everything from how we work with before- and after-school care, to how we schedule after-school games," said Chris Tennill, district spokesman.
A transportation committee at Villa Duchesne-Oak Hill School, off Spoede Road in Frontenac, is exploring shifting hours and starting a shuttle service that would pick up students at drop-off points.
Getting students to class at Villa Duchesne-Oak Hill will be difficult in 2008. Not only will Highway 40 be impassible between Ballas Road and I-170, but the Spoede overpass will close for rebuilding.
"We as a school want to get all the kinks out before it happens," said Sapna Jos, communication manager for the school. "None of us know what this is going to do in terms of impact."
Meanwhile, Miller, who hopes she and her husband sell their Glen Carbon house this summer, predicts the impact on her trips to the Wilson School in Clayton and John Burroughs School in Ladue will be severe. Her alternative route, Clayton Road, will become everyone's alternative route, she said.
"Clayton Road is going to be hideous," she said. "I am absolutely determined to get as close to our schools as I can before 2009."
Tim Barker of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
ecrouch@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8119
By Elisa Crouch
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/18/2007
Nina Miller of Glen Carbon is house hunting.
Driving her sons to schools in Ladue and Clayton means she and her husband make daily weekday treks down Highway 40 (Interstate 64) — a route that will be under construction until late 2009. She wants to move to University City or Olivette to avoid the mess.
"Those of us who spend our lives in the car are terrified we won't be able to go anywhere," Miller said.
With nine months left until major lane closings, the anxiety over the "New I-64" project can already be felt across the region, in human resource departments, in school district offices and at breakfast tables like Miller's.
Businesses are adjusting work schedules. Zoo officials are readying to protect animals from the noise. Real estate agents are marketing "city homes" to wealthy West County residents who might want a weekday place closer to downtown.
Drivers are sweating.
On Monday, the clock officially starts ticking.
A gold shovel will break ground on the $535 million rebuilding effort. And within a few weeks, the traffic nightmare of rebuilding about 10 miles of the interstate will become painfully real, as ramps start to close, bridges start to come down, and two years of total shutdowns draw closer.
This year, lane closings should not be incredibly disruptive. The major pain will be felt in 2008 and 2009, when all lanes will close in the western half of the corridor between Interstate 170 and Spoede Road. Once they reopen, all lanes close on the eastern half, between Kingshighway and I-170.
That means for two years, Terry Frank of Creve Coeur won't be able to use Highway 40 as his straight shot downtown.
"I have no clue how I'm going to get to work," said Frank, managing director of Century Securities. "It's going to take two to three times longer to get back and forth."
The momentum to rebuild Highway 40 started 15 years ago. Built between the 1930s and 1960s, the roadbed in some places is crumbling, highway officials say. Its tight-loop ramps were built for cars traveling no faster than 45 mph. Many of its bridges have deteriorated to the point they're one inspection point from being forced to close.
Funding fell into place in 2005.
Gateway Constructors, the team of firms doing the work, proposed closing sections of the interstate for two years as the fastest way to get the work done.
"It's two years of partial closures versus six years of construction if we maintained two lanes in each direction," Gateway spokesman Dan Galvin said.
Many people who travel Highway 40 say they're not panicked, but they're making plans.
Some businesses have been planning for months.
Executives at Commerce Bank's main office in Clayton, for one, are considering flex time, four-day work weeks, telecommuting and satellite offices for employees. Of course, there are limits to how much flexibility they can offer to some employees, particularly those required to be in the bank dealing with customers during business hours.
"We're looking at all jobs, but some jobs are more limited in their options,'' said Diane Kroner, the bank's employee relations manager.
In the Central West End, condos are being marketed as investment properties for West County residents who work downtown or in Clayton, and have the money for a weekday residence closer to work, said Carole McCabe, regional vice president for Coldwell Banker Gundaker.
"People are looking for condos, lofts, some kind of worry-free living that will give them the opportunity to not battle Highway 40 every day," she said.
At the St. Louis Zoo, animals will be exposed to dust and noise. The Tamm Avenue overpass, adjacent to the Zoo's south parking lot, will implode this spring.
Director William Boever said Zoo workers will handle the noise like they do fireworks.
"We have buildings for many of our animals, we can bring them inside," he said. "We have radios we can turn up louder, so music is playing, and so it's not as startling."
Some private schools and public districts are talking about adjusting schedules.
At Clayton schools, "It's going to impact everything from how we work with before- and after-school care, to how we schedule after-school games," said Chris Tennill, district spokesman.
A transportation committee at Villa Duchesne-Oak Hill School, off Spoede Road in Frontenac, is exploring shifting hours and starting a shuttle service that would pick up students at drop-off points.
Getting students to class at Villa Duchesne-Oak Hill will be difficult in 2008. Not only will Highway 40 be impassible between Ballas Road and I-170, but the Spoede overpass will close for rebuilding.
"We as a school want to get all the kinks out before it happens," said Sapna Jos, communication manager for the school. "None of us know what this is going to do in terms of impact."
Meanwhile, Miller, who hopes she and her husband sell their Glen Carbon house this summer, predicts the impact on her trips to the Wilson School in Clayton and John Burroughs School in Ladue will be severe. Her alternative route, Clayton Road, will become everyone's alternative route, she said.
"Clayton Road is going to be hideous," she said. "I am absolutely determined to get as close to our schools as I can before 2009."
Tim Barker of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
ecrouch@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8119
I wonder how big an impact the highway closing will actually have on people's living habits? will there actually be a boost in the condo sales in the Central West End, as the article implies? Could crappy highways actually lead to healthier neighborhoods?
Maybe they could just rip up the highway and, oh i don't know, forget to put it back together again. if only...
Maybe they could just rip up the highway and, oh i don't know, forget to put it back together again. if only...
Does anyone else agree that this whole Highway 40 freakout is a bit overblown? Yes, it will be a strain, but I doubt it will be nearly as severe as the media is making it out to be. It will take some time to develop alternate commuting routes, but people will adapt. The city will survive and life will go on, albeit with minor aggravations. Fortunately, downtown is probably the best place to be, as all major highways converge there.
CHILL OUT ST. LOUIS!
CHILL OUT ST. LOUIS!
- 710
BT wrote:
Maybe they could just rip up the highway and, oh i don't know, forget to put it back together again. if only...
amen. i hate highway forty, i learned to stop using it.
STLgasm wrote:Does anyone else agree that this whole Highway 40 freakout is a bit overblown? Yes, it will be a strain, but I doubt it will be nearly as severe as the media is making it out to be. It will take some time to develop alternate commuting routes, but people will adapt. The city will survive and life will go on, albeit with minor aggravations. Fortunately, downtown is probably the best place to be, as all major highways converge there.
CHILL OUT ST. LOUIS!
Overblown? Us? Don't you remember all those huge crowds who showed up to see the Pope and virtually shut down the city as a result?
- 6,775
bonwich wrote:STLgasm wrote:Does anyone else agree that this whole Highway 40 freakout is a bit overblown? Yes, it will be a strain, but I doubt it will be nearly as severe as the media is making it out to be. It will take some time to develop alternate commuting routes, but people will adapt. The city will survive and life will go on, albeit with minor aggravations. Fortunately, downtown is probably the best place to be, as all major highways converge there.
CHILL OUT ST. LOUIS!
Overblown? Us? Don't you remember all those huge crowds who showed up to see the Pope and virtually shut down the city as a result?
LOL!
I was working downtown at the time, and our company was going to close for the day. I decided to fly to KC early in the morning, do some site seeing, get some Arthur Bryant's, and fly back later that night. When people asked why I did that, I told them it was to escape the stupidity. That didn't always go over well.
When I got back and heard the whole thing was a bust, I jumped for joy.
Pete Parisi and WWM did a hilarious show about the whole thing some weeks later. Damn, I miss him.
To be fair: the Jan. 26, 1999, Papal Mass put more people (104,000+) into America's Center than anything else has -- and probably holds a place as one of the largest indoor crowds ever assembled in the US to witness an event.
The street closings and Pope Zone seemed a lot over the top.
The street closings and Pope Zone seemed a lot over the top.
STLgasm wrote:Does anyone else agree that this whole Highway 40 freakout is a bit overblown? Yes, it will be a strain, but I doubt it will be nearly as severe as the media is making it out to be. It will take some time to develop alternate commuting routes, but people will adapt. The city will survive and life will go on, albeit with minor aggravations. Fortunately, downtown is probably the best place to be, as all major highways converge there.
CHILL OUT ST. LOUIS!
I agree STLgasm. When I read the stories, I laugh. Employers may give flex time because of highway construction? Not that it is a bad idea, but you'd never hear that in places like Houston or Dallas.
I guess some people are freaking out because this is the largest highway project ever undertaken in St. Louis and Missouri. In the long run, the region will be better off. A revamped interstate might even facilitate economic growth along the corridor and in the region.
Was in Chicago last week. ALL INBOUND LOCAL LANES OF THE DAN RYAN ARE CLOSED FROM NOW UNTIL NOVEMBER.
40 is a mousefart compared to that!
40 is a mousefart compared to that!
bonwich wrote:
40 is a mousefart compared to that!
LOL! No kidding. Are you serious though? The Dan Ryan is closed on one side until November?
Local lanes. I think there's a set of express lanes that provides inbound access to limited exits.
I drove up 55 on Sunday, and detoured all the way over to LSD and back Congress to go up north because of the massive traffic jam at the 55/94 intersection. (Westbound was a mess; eastbound was CLOSED -- at least the exit ramp -- as well.)
Then again, Chicago has somehow managed to synchronize its downtown traffic signals.
I drove up 55 on Sunday, and detoured all the way over to LSD and back Congress to go up north because of the massive traffic jam at the 55/94 intersection. (Westbound was a mess; eastbound was CLOSED -- at least the exit ramp -- as well.)
Then again, Chicago has somehow managed to synchronize its downtown traffic signals.
- 2,005
bonwich wrote:Was in Chicago last week. ALL INBOUND LOCAL LANES OF THE DAN RYAN ARE CLOSED FROM NOW UNTIL NOVEMBER.
40 is a mousefart compared to that!
The Dan Ryan has an AADT of 300,000 compared to nearly 140,000 for I-64.
Then again, they have this marvelous concept in Chicago called public transportation.
bonwich wrote:Then again, they have this marvelous concept in Chicago called public transportation.
...and the Big Daley Machine, version 2.0. What Mayor Daley wants, Mayor Daley gets. If he wants the Dan Ryan redone, he gets the Dan Ryan redone.
Add to the fact all of the Dan Ryan redo is within the Chicago city limits. No meddling little suburbs to cause problems.
It would be interesting to think what St. Louis could be like today if we had a powerful Boss Mayor (like Daley the 1st) during the mid 20th century. Maybe St. Louis and Chicago would be on a lot more equal footing.