urbanSTL

the lack of a direct route south prevented sprawl imo. It would have made people push farther south at a much quicker rate, the lack of north/south access essentially created a "buffer". just look at how quickly white and later black flight floored it out 70 and north up 170 to 270. same thing would have happened if 170 went south.

Best thing we could do is to tear out the interstates inside I-170 or so and route them around I-270 and I-255.



They figured this sort of thing out in Toronto a good 4 decades ago. We never really have.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spadina_Expressway

If we are building a transportation system to serve the automobile, the Spadina Expressway would be a good place to start. But if we are building a transportation system to serve people, the Spadina Expressway is a good place to stop

[/quote]

When I wrote about a connection between 55 and 64, I didn't mean a whole new highway connecting the two. I meant, if at all possible, an entrance and exit ramp from the two highways connecting downtown.



Again today. I had to get off and drive around all over to go from 55/44 to 64.



Now....on with the negativity....

Yes yes, the negativity. I'm going to go ahead and make the jump to tell you that you don't have it that bad. If it makes you feel better, drive faster.

If you go fast enough, those great brick buildings you could give two shits about turn into a neat red ribbon on either side.

Survivor147 wrote:When I wrote about a connection between 55 and 64, I didn't mean a whole new highway connecting the two. I meant, if at all possible, an entrance and exit ramp from the two highways connecting downtown.



Again today. I had to get off and drive around all over to go from 55/44 to 64.



Now....on with the negativity....

1) Nowhere to put the new ramps you speak of

2) Even if a connection between 55 and 64 existed, it may actually be slower than the surface streets between the two as the route is 1.5 miles longer.

That's what I thought when I was in the area today. Perhaps the only way this would ever happen would be for a whole demolition and reconstruction like what they're doing to the other side of 64.

The continual beat of a different drummer -- or beating a dead horse -- as the case may be.



New bridge --> eliminate 70 through downtown --> new interchange for 64/55/Memorial Drive (which becomes a parkway).



Forget The Lid. Restore The Grid.

bonwich wrote:Actually, the good idea would have been to continue 170 as an urban parkway connecting to Hanley/Laclede Station, which would then continue as a parkway at least to 44 and maybe all the way to Gravois.

I always thought connecting River Des Peres to I-44 and on to Big Bend and Hanley via the crappy shopping center there with the DMV would be a good way to move traffic from SoCo to Clayton area. Anyone know of any plans to have ever done this?

One more lane will surely fix it.

MoDOT - Interstate 55 Groundbreaking Celebrated Today

https://www.modot.org/node/42868