Hi, all.



Just curious how the new I-64/40 project will affect your commute. How often do you use I-64/40? Do you use it mainly for commuting to work, for entertainment purposes, etc?



What are you plans for alternative routes? Just curious if people have thought about this yet. Does anyone know of shortcuts or special "local" fast ways of getting to places or ways to beat traffic?



Are people planning on utilizing other forms of transportation? How will the project impact you the most (i.e. increase in commute time, etc.)

It won't affect me terribly. I live off of the 44/55 split (Jefferson Ave. exit). I work in Illinois, so I take the PSB -- perhaps that traffic will be affected but I'm usually heading in the opposite direction of traffic anyway.



I won't be able to easily get to the Galleria or any of the nearby shopping on Brentwood, so I'll have to continue shopping at Crestwood (not a problem) and/or West County Mall.

I take 70 from downtown all the way to Bridgeton. Traffic is never bad in the mornings but it gets a little backed up coming home in the evenings, mostly Illinois plates. I'm guessing with the closing of 40, a lot of people will be accessing 70 from 270 and 170 to head back DT or to Ill. It's still not too bad, even on game nights it's only an extra 5 minutes tops.

I avoid 40 like the plague. So it will have no effect on me.

Won't affect me at all, since I rarely find need to travel this expressway and when I do, it's never during rush.

I would have significantly hurt my quality of life, as I was commuting from Downtown to Creve Coeur, and found alternate routes to be slow as well and the train-to-bus transfer required to use Metro even slower (which would have been fine had it not also involved standing unsheltered at the busy but underbuilt Delmar station).



So I found a job Downtown and walk 7 blocks to work. Now it just means I'll take the new train if I need to go to the Brentwood shopping district, and anything further west than that will join St. Charles in the list of places-tha-seem-familiar-but-require-a-map.

The only highway I use is 44. If I'm going downtown, I'll take side streets, weaving my way to the core through some great neighborhoods. I've used 64/40 maybe 10 times in the last year. And those were extreme reasons. I can easily avoid it.



Personally, I wouldn't care if they blew up that whole highway and just left it that way.

I usually take 70 then 170 and then 40 for whatever. I will use my alternative which is Lindbergh, Midland, Delmar, Kingshighway



Scenic routes are better despite the extra time

I co-own a small business downtown. About half of our customers are city-dwellers, and should find it easy to take Lindell/Olive or Forest Park Parkway to reach us. The other half live out in Clayton and West County, and this project could well scare some of them away. Also, we make deliveries out there fairly often, and this project will definately make things more difficult on us.



Personally, I enjoy taking differant streets and finding new ways to get around. The trip might take a bit longer, but you still get there in the end. Without a doubt, Forest Park Parkway will become many people's favorite route into and out of Downtown.



To sum up, I am a bit concerned about possible loss of sales due to West Countians avoiding Downtown. But, fortunately, my business has very loyal customers, so I doubt that we'll lose too many. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

I try to avoid using our area's highways whenever possible. Given the frequency of traffic tie-ups sans construction, I often find that I'll still arrive at my destination in a timely fashion when I take city and county streets.



So, reconstruction of Interstate 64/Highway 40 will have more of an indirect impact on my travels. I live in south Saint Louis and work in South County, so thankfully I don't depend on this highway for my commute. However, I often use Arsenal Street, Chouteau/Manchester, Olive/Lindell, and Forest Park Parkway to traverse the city from east to west, and I'm sure some or all of those routes will be negatively impacted by Highway 40 reconstruction.



I still think given limited funding and skyrocketing gas prices, the proposed Highway 40 makeover is ridiculous. I believe that most of the interchanges should be upgraded, but I have problems with the scope of the plan, particularly the added lane capacity between Interstate 170 and Spoede Road, which will do little if anything IMHO to truly ease congestion.

I'm surprised that some of you think the Hwy 40/64 construction won't affect you. Every North/South bridge along that corridor will be replaced, meaning not only East/West traffic will be redirected, but also North/South. Even if some of those people still ues the reduced lanes on 40/64, some people will have to find alternate routes which will mean increased traffic on other routes. One way or another we'll all be affected by the project, including me, and I'm moving to a downtown loft in July right next to where I work.

I think on a realtive level, the construction won't affect those the way it will others. For me, I meant that it was a relative thing. I don't often use that highway, and the ways that I usually travel north won't be affected much. So will it affect me? Yes, but not much.

Downtown STL Fan wrote:I'm surprised that some of you think the Hwy 40/64 construction won't affect you.

Like trent, I was speaking in relative terms. I realize construction will affect all routes, regardless of direction. I use a variety of north-south routes through the city that are off the beaten path. Congestion on north-south routes through the county (Brentwood, Laclede Station/Hanley, etc.) will likely be dreadful. I probably won't do as much shopping in Brentwood or Richmond Heights as I do now, but I'll find other places to get the things I need (that I can't find in the city, of course).



However, things could be much worse for me, especially if I depended on the route to get to and from work. All the reverse commuters in the city that use Highway 40, for example, are really going to feel the pain.

Biggest impact will be the increase in traffic on other streets. For doctor appointments at St. Mary's, I'm going to try southern routes, like Manchester. If that's too jammed, I'll try 44 then north on Big Bend. MetroLink will continue to get me to the airport and the West End.

We currently live by the airport and work downtown. I-70 moves well enough, but I don't enjoy the thought of increased traffic from 40 when construction kicks in. We've got a contract in Ely Walker, but that won't be ready until spring/summer '07. We're impatient so we grabbed a unit in Terrace Lofts for the time being, and move in a month.



The future construction was a small factor, but the commute in general motivated us more; We'll happily be selling a car and upgrading to walking to the office.



Now I just need to convince family rooted in Manchester and O'Fallon to move closer to the city so a 40 can be avoided. Between the increased distance being downtown and the future detouring around 40, what used to be a 30-45 minute trip I expect to double at the very least.

If everything goes as planned and I still get to move into my loft then construction will have a big impact on me because I will be starting my MBA at Wash U in the fall and am going full-time. I do have the options of MetroLink on days that I only have class (no errands, etc) and then taking Olive/Lindell all the way down to FP Pkwy.



At least I have several options and won't have to travel too far.

St.Louis UAB alumni wrote:If everything goes as planned and I still get to move into my loft then construction will have a big impact on me because I will be starting my MBA at Wash U in the fall and am going full-time. I do have the options of MetroLink on days that I only have class (no errands, etc) and then taking Olive/Lindell all the way down to FP Pkwy.



At least I have several options and won't have to travel too far.

You're so lucky, though, to be going to Wash U. With Metrolink stops at Skinker and Big Bend, you have stops at each end of the campus. Also, Forest Park Parkway is open again, so that should help you out too.