urbanSTL

Looks like MoDOT has a new plan for the Boone Bridge, I-64 westbound bridge across the Missouri, as reported by KWMU. Of course, the bigger picture is that MoDOT will be hurting for funds and a new bridge probably won't happen for another century or two.

I don't think it is a bad plan as long as they incorporate a means to cross the river via a bike to the Katy trail as they did with the new Page/Hwy 364 bridge. The current structure is significant and would still require significant cost to maintain as a bike path (Steel still requires painting if you don't want it to rust away)

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kwmu/ ... one.Bridge

ST. LOUIS, MO (St. Louis Public Radio) - State transportation officials have changed their minds about the westbound span of the 75 year-old Daniel Boone Bridge over the Missouri River -- it has to go.
Originally, MODot planned to leave the existing bridge as an outer road with a bike lane. But spokesman Drew Gates says it is deteriorating and will probably have to be torn down.

"Our plan is to construct a new eastbound bridge and move traffic to that eastbound bridge and of course the current eastbound bridge which will become the westbound bridge and then take out the existing westbound bridge, the three lane one that's up there now, the old one that was built in the 1930's," Gates said.

He said there's no funding available for the Boone Bridge project yet but MODot is drafting a plan to be ready for when there IS money to pay for it.

"With a lot of the projects that were funded using the economic recovery money, this has significantly moved up in the lineup of things that we need to be at least working on and focusing our attention on over the next few years," Gates said.

MODot will hold a public meeting about the Boone Bridge plan next Tuesday, May 11, at the August Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles. © Copyright 2010, St. Louis Public Radio

I'm watching the 10:00 news right now, and there's a story featuring a man complaining about the rush hour delays on Highway 40. As MoDOT's district engineer explained, people have a short memory, because the 15 minute delays that occur between Hampton Avenue and Hanley Road are still less than the 40 minute back-ups that used to occur in the same area. Also, like he said, it makes no sense to build the road capacity based on traffic flow during the worst 15 minutes of rush hour. (Actually, I'd go one step further by questioning the need for additional lanes between I-170 and Spoede Road, since more capacity just invites more traffic, but that's why I don't work for MoDOT.)

That didn't stop the man that was interviewed from making a fool of himself- he said he wants to hang a banner on the Tamm Avenue overpass saying "We Want Our Money Back".

Or, the man could just stop complaining and move a little closer to work.

Alex: It does read like a "story" from The Onion!

And Mill204, thanks for the link. I heard the story again on KMOV this morning, and I can't remember if this tidbit was in the story or if it was something one of the anchors added at the end, but 30,000 additional cars use that road now, so the traffic has got to go somewhere.

MoDOT says the ramp redesigns have improved efficiency, and while there are still backups, I most certainly agree with the MoDOT assessment. I guess some people do have short memories, because I started going to school at night at Washington University right before Highway 40 closed for reconstruction. Yes, there are still backups, but yes, it's an absolutely vast improvement from the previous configuration.

I was almost a little embarrassed for Mr. Wilhelm. He's not the first person I've heard complain about the new stretch of highway, but it still seems a bit silly when it's clear that improvements have been made, and when nothing short of herding cars onto other area roads or into mass transit is going to solve the issue of peak time delays.

Long-term thought:
When the portion of I-64 from Kingshighway to downtown needs to be rebuilt, maybe we should consider building a new highway below grade in place of the railroad tracks from Kingshighway along the South-side of the Chouteau Lake switching yards downtown. Looking at Google Maps, I could see I-64 cutting South between Forest Park Community College and the Science Center to get to the railroad tracks path.

And also plan to have I-44 merge into the same new I-64/I-44 common highway in place of the railroad tracks by jumping over to the railroad tracks path just west of Jamison. The new below grade I-64/I-44 stretch would go down the South edge of the switching yards to get to the Poplar Street Bridge.

Also, build a new bridge for I-55, kind of like the new I-70 bridge, but south of downtown somewhere between Dakota and Potomac and connect it to Illinois highway 3 on the Illinois side.

This plan would get rid of the elevated I-64 lanes through downdown and replace them with below grade lanes along the South side of the Chouteau Greenway. I-64 from Kingshighway to PSB could be torn down and the street grid restored. The new I-64/I-44 might fit under most existing bridges over the current rail lines. The current I-44 from Jamison to downtown could be removed along with the I-44/I-55 interchange completely and all those neighborhoods could be reconnected.

OK. Probably cant' happen here, but this is exactly what Oklahoma City is doing by moving the old I-40 highway downtown to the south and putting it below grade where railroad tracks used to run. Look at Oklahoma City on Google Maps, and you see both the current I-40 highway close to downtown OKC, and the new one which is not open yet a little further South. Here is the OKC plan.
http://www.40forward.com/

Here is what I had in mind:

http://quikmaps.com/site/196484

Some pics of Tower Grove interchange construction from WUMCRC

http://www.flickr.com/photos/80174932@N ... 025360793/

anyone see that cone-man streetart? i was crackin up everytime i'd pass it