urbanSTL

^ I would argue that most cost - benefit analysis for public benefit can be and is done in a way that maximizes the beneficial impact.  So no surprise that a traffic model is no different.

The question is and what does political leadership vision push for.   Obviously a good part of MO will push the highway model.  However, Brickline  renderings showing a better utilization of city streets and those right of ways as one example that land rich St Louis City can move forward.    City was handed a Rams settlement and a portion of that can be utilized for better infrastructure and affordable housing that benefits the city

Curious.  I drove downtown today to get Planet Sub for lunch (I really like to eat there and would go often when my office weas there).  Taking the 11th Street exit I notice the LARGE volume of trash on the left side of I-64 (it's a left exit) and on both sides o the ramp.  I can try and look - but is this state, federal or city's role to clean this?  Terrible representation that we should do better on.

State. Specifically? MODoT.

I'd think the maintenance of trash removal and lawn mowing/weed removal would be high impact/low cost, but I guess there's more that goes into it than I realize.  Or it's just not a priority at all.

MoDOT consistently does a sh*t job of removing debris. STL highways are even worse than Philly highways. Maybe they should spend less on widening and more on maintenance.

urban_dilettante wrote: ↑

Oct 25, 2024

MoDOT consistently does a sh*t job of removing debris. STL highways are even worse than Philly highways. Maybe they should spend less on widening and more on maintenance.

Sorry, there's no grant money in removing debris

^ This is one of my major pet peeves about St. Louis. Literally no effort or resources dedicated to beautification on highways, which leads to a negative perception of the city. I-70 from the airport to downtown is a complete embarrassment to the entire region, 

Was recently in the DFW area and was happy to see their interstate highways are also covered in garbage and crash debris

JaneJacobsGhost wrote: ↑

Oct 25, 2024

Was recently in the DFW area and was happy to see their interstate highways are also covered in garbage and crash debris

Can't have trashed urban interstates if we didn't have urban interstates

Glad to hear that I am at least not alone with the impact this has.  I will write them a note (and, not hold my breath).

The Guardian - Wales’s 20mph speed limit saves lives and money. So why has it become a culture-war battlefield?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ney-policy

DOT/Potus Admin came about with a pretty significant round of grant announcements between FY25 Raise and Rail grants at end of this week.   I think it was up to $5 billion worth of grants and with matching dollars I think it equates to something like $6 to $7 billion.  A few can be found in these links 

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/do ... eets_0.pdf

https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot ... ctions.pdf

Some thoughts.   Raise grants really seemed to focus on multimodal/pedestrian corridors.  No surprise and good thing considering the next round will be more rural highway bypasses.   The rail grants really focus on a lot of grade separation helping push needed projects for CaHSR and Chicago CREATE getting a decent $43 million project plus some other Chicago area grade separations.  Finally, earlier port grant/clean air put some good money into rail electrification on NE corridor and Conn projects.

The other thing that stuck out to me is St Louis Region/metro east, freightway plan/Lincoln Service Corridor didn't see really anything in the latest round and recent rounds the prior FY24 when it came to infrastructure funds..   So the other thoughts, Lincoln Service corridor did see some major influx of Fed money for Springfield about a year ago and Chicago CREATE has garnered some funding, here and there and above, that might indirectly help Lincoln Corridor when it comes to getting trains out of Chicago.  However, I thought would see another decent Amtrak expenditure to add double track/capacity improvements and or even some support to increase frequency (which happened with San Diego to Los Angeles corrider in the last round - adding trains and or equipment to FL Brightline from 5 to 6 car trainset adding capacity).    Nor did see any pedestrian/multimodal and or even freightway grants in recent rounds..  A little more surprised on Frieghtway not garnering some recent grants as it has a more regional and broader/political approach behind it.

So thoughts?  I do think most grants are coming off city and regions who are putting then effort/resources in but also doing it well.  Something the region is missing?   Also with grants, contributing and matching funds matter.  Something the region is missing as well?  My last thought, by not really getting ducks in a row with Rams Settlement fund the city might have missed out on a couple opportunities with current admin.   Changes come Jan 20th.  Sorry, but having the ability to have commit say a million or two to get another four to six million for street, sidewalk, bicycle improvements was a missed opportunity the last year or two.  

 

Yeah it's annoying to me that IDOT spent like $2 billion in federal funds on improving the lincoln service but are now like ok let's work on some other things. I've heard the proposed reroute in the Chicago area could shave like a half hour off the trip, I wish they'd prioritize that part of CREATE. 

^ not sure what part of CREATE your referring too but believe their is a plan in place to significantly improve the rail infrastructure in and around Joliet IL which seems to be the black sheep of the CREATE program right if it is part of it.   I think almost all of the grant money for CREATE has gone to projects within the city itself with a significant freight component.   CREATE has bid goals with a lot of work that needs to be done but yes it seems a distinct effort, outside of Springfield, to put most funds exclusively in Chicago city proper itself.  

In same breadth, Amtrak has seem to ignore or avoid putting any significant infrastructure funds into Chicago Union Station and supporting rail infrastructure that makes everything work better for Midwest.  I think several hundred million of infrastructure improvements from facilities to rail to signaling to platforms  Get part of the reason in that Amtrak is undertaking a massive NE Corridor tunnel and bridge program going on while at same time its trainset, railcar procurement has been an utter failure so the idea of another big program somewhere else is probably out of reach.   I think they could barely handle a second daily train to St. Paul and assume that MN & WI did most of the heavy lifting.  

^
Isn't the Lincoln service not able to do too much in frequency adds or other improvements until work is done to fix bottlenecks in the Chicago area along with needing more railcars?

Saw today that detroit is moving forward with three lids over i-75 in their downtown. KC moved forward with large lids for 670 a few weeks ago. Milwaukee has worked on many plans for 794 recently.

Has there been any discussion at all on doing something with i-44 between the 70 bridge and i-64? Or ways to connect neighborhoods divided by 55 and 44, particularly the larger than Earth interchange between Soulard and Lafayette Square? Or lids/more connectivity for the i-64 cut through Forest Park? Just any of the interstate divisions that are holding back our city?

We have so many of these atrocities. I would hope there’s at least some mention in city hall of how to work through some proposals now with the hope that some transportation dollars may be there in 2028 and on. Plan now to be ready later.

There's no real indication that Milwaukee's will actually happen.

I think we should gun for redesigned interchanges at I-44 and I-55 and I-64 at Conpton and FPP. That could realistically happen.

^Im with you that those might be more realistic goals right now, though we still seem to have to fight hard with our DOT. Those are not only urban connectivity nightmares, but also nightmares for even the drivers. The preliminary MODOT design for I-64 at compton was hardly an improvement. It’s concerning for the greenway project and ever minimizing the impact of the parallel FPP, I-64, railroad and I-44 through the area.

Th best solution is to simplify things with I-64 at Compton. There doesn’t need to be ramp to everything there. But that did not seem to be the approach by MODOT.

I-44-I-55 similar issue. There doesn’t need to be a ramp for every direction of traffic and every street. It’s overkill that only complicates things. Would be nice to see the local streets reconnected through there but I don’t even know if redoing that interchange is on the radar of MODOT.

^It would be incredibly interesting to see a mockup of a reconnected Soulard, Benton Park, Lafayette Square would look like. Probably would be one of the largest contiguous historic districts outside of the northeast.

You can see that 44/55 exchange from outer space

I44 I55 exchange makes me sick. Sometimes when I consider moving on from St. Louis that fact I would never have to look at or ponder the absolute disgrace that is the I44 55 exchange is part of the equation.

leeharveyawesome wrote: ↑

Feb 12, 2025

I44 I55 exchange makes me sick. Sometimes when I consider moving on from St. Louis that fact I would never have to look at or ponder the absolute disgrace that is the I44 55 exchange is part of the equation.

I feel like one small but easy fix for that exchange would be to move all the Lafayette ramps for both 55 and 44 to one single intersection at Truman Parkway. Maybe they could also remove the loop ramp for the Gravois exit from WB 44 and convert it to a straight (?) ramp, replacing Emmett. Then open up the rest of that stretch for development. 

IMHO, they should have made 14th St the parkway since there is a ramp to EB 64. But they would have to do some major reconfiguring for that at this point.