NEW AND IMPROVED

Buck Collier

South City Journal



A more driver-friendly Interstate 64 (Highway 40) could be just a few years away if the state moves forward with a plan endorsed last week by local officials.



A new way to build and finance the rebuilding of I-64 from Sarah Street in St. Louis City to Spoede Road in St. Louis County could mean a better highway in as little as three years, rather than the 13 years projected to take under a more traditional rehab plan.



But whether the Missouri Department of Transportation takes advantage of the new bonding method to finance the $500-million project is unclear, says Linda Wilson, a spokesman for the agency's local office.



"It's a little too early to think about all the details," says Wilson. "We have some more things we need to do within MoDOT and the highway commission" before deciding to move forward with the plan, she says.



At its monthly session last week, the board of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments formally endorsed the use of so-called GARVEE bonds (Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle) to finance the reconstruction of I-64 from Sarah Street to Spoede Road by using design-build to get the job done all at once ? taking three to four years ? rather than in a piecemeal fashion contained in a more-traditional plan that would take more than 10 years.



Under the design-build method, a project is designed and built at the same time, allowing flexibility in changes to the design. Under the traditional method, a project is completely designed and then built according to the overall design.



Les Sterman, executive director of East-West Gateway, calls the rebuilding of this section of I-64 "an enormously complicated project" that will include reconstructing interchanges at I-170 and Kingshighway, as well as building another lane in each direction.



In a report to the board, the Council staff says the design-build method could save as much as $40 million, as well as shave off 10 years from the work schedule. "I-64 is uniquely qualified for a design-build approach," the report says. "The project's scale, the length of the construction period using standard methods and the associated long-term disruption of traffic (on) one of the region's most heavily traveled corridors, and the significant cost savings, even while incurring debt, all argue in favor of design-build. While design-build and related debt financing is not appropriate for most projects in the region, it is a sound approach for a project of this character and magnitude."



The Council's board endorsed the design-build method with a condition: Only $500 million worth of bonds will be issued. If it appears more than that will be required, MoDOT will have to come back to the Council for authorization. That condition was the key for some local officials ? such as St. Charles County Executive Joe Ortwerth ? to sign off on the method. "With that stipulation being in place, I can support this," Ortwerth says.



The plan contains no timetable for MoDOT to begin working on I-64. "Too many unknowns at this point," says Wilson. However, she says that if the transportation agency soon decides to use this method, on-site work probably wouldn't be seen for at least a year from now.

From that article it would seem that the design build method is the right choice. It might make things more of a pain over the next 4 years but I'd rather have a short term big time pain, than a long term annoying pain.



I'd like to read more info on this situation, though.

Design-build isn't a one size fits all, it takes some unique circumstances.



Salt Lake City rebuilt I-15 for the Winter Olympics using this method, this is probably one of the best examples too.



Utah Example

More Info



Here in St. Louis look for some joint ventures between contractors similar to what happened when the Lambert runway extension went out to bid. The I-64 rebuild will be the first MoDOT project to use design-build. I think the Paseo bridge in KC will be the second.

A rebuilt Highway 40 within 4 years? Give me a break!



But talk about a great office pool - "Which will happen first, Highway 40 or Chouteau Lake?"



Not to be a downer, but let's face it; things happen slowly in St. Louis.

In the meantime, watch people flee the city. When I was working at East-West I saw proposals for this. Even they said it was abad idea. Doing so much work in such a little time period is bound to produce profound traffic jams on an artery that has no other suitable alternatives. What are people going to take when their commute doubles or triples? Manchester? Delmar? Forest Park (if it ever reopens)? I really thought they were going to apporach this in more of a long term plan, which would be far more realistic and attainable. I wonder who's going to be able to bid on this too, with all the problems with the metrolink contractors.

Flee the city? A bad commute makes the argument for living closer to downtown. But I know what you mean. This will be a mess and I hope they have given some thought to moving people in the meantime. In a perfect world, they would have first put a Metrolink line out to West County with huge park n ride lots. And then, with that alternate in place, start rebuilding the highway.

Traffic will be bad regardless once this project starts. Highway 'Farty' is out of date and needs to be fixed. The economic impact of a 10+ year construction cycle should be considered as well. How many businesses will want to locate in the Central corridor when they know there employees will be late to work or that there deliveries will always be late?



This approach is much more sound than stringing the project along for 10+ years. As a taxpayer I prefer the cheaper/quicker method as long as its done right.



This project has been a priority for East-West Gateway for a long time. The article says it will take 3-4 years to rebuild, there is no date on when it will start. If I was to bet money I would say this would be built long before Chouteau's Greenway

Sadly, no leader in St. Louis County has gotten behind this project to have had 40 already rebuilt by now. Instead, County leaders often focus on new roadway projects like 364 or 141.



Even County voters are to blame. They chose to allow the Page extension be built (late 90s referendum), while also turning down a second quarter-cent sales tax for MetroLink (late 90s proposition).



At least Mid-County folks who did support transit will soon be afforded the Cross-County alternative before the highway mess begins.



Sure, it would be nice if we had a more extensive MetroLink system in place before Highway 40 reconstruction, but given the political will of West County to focus more on their accessibility to the westplex (St. Chuck) instead of the central core (City-Clayton), I won't in the least bit feel sorry for West Countians' expected 40 headaches.

^And the contractors building the extension didn't screw it up anyway, it was the design collaborative.

brick, thanks for the extra info. It helped a little.



Maybe its just the high of spending the late afternoon until now downtown, but I don't think people will flee the city. By the time 64 begins construction, Forest Park Parkway will be opened. The Metrolink will be fully functional, on the cross county extension, and probably moving forward on another extension.



Downtown is going to become more and more of a draw that it will be important for businesses to maintain their location there. Not to mention the continued expansion across the river, puts more pressure on companies to build/settle/stay in downtown, the central corridor, or clayton because nobody from Illinois is gonna wanna drive to O'Fallon, MO (nice going MasterCard).



Overall, I don't care about people that whine about the congestion on 64, it's their own damn fault for moving where they did. They chose to live in Town & Country, Chesterfield etc. 44 is much less congested during rush hour and only jams when there is an accident. However, I will say that 64 through the areas proposed for improvement, is possibly the worst highway I've ever driven on. Although the mess in downtown KC is close.



One last thought, and then I'll shutup...me and my friends have a new idea. In order to promote an 'in with the new' attitude that St. Louis seems to heavily lack, we've stopped calling that highway 'Highway 40'. It's now I-64 or just 64. And we correct each other when we slip up. I think this is a good idea, and suggest that we all make the change over.

I've been doing that for about 3 years. At first it was just because I could not stand people calling it Farty, but then it became more of what you are going for. Updating myself with the changing times, and bringing in the new. I often am told to shut up when I correct people, Well maybe not that harsh, but people don't like me correcting them when they call it 40.



I've never been inspired to do this, but maybe if enough people email all the local traffic info outlets, and especially the Post-Dispatch, they will update themselves too. That would make a huge difference. I think I will send out some emails tonight.

Matt,



That's a good idea, I never thought about the media outlets. I know Charlie Brennan usually calls it 64/40, but lets just get rid of the 40 part of it already.

When I moved here I refused to call I-64, Highway 40. After a year I fell in with everyone else and call it Hwy 40. Even if MoDOT reroutes US 40 from its existing alignment, it will probably still be called Highway 40 by natives. After all in O'Fallon, IL the main road through town is named Highway 50, although US 50 does not actually follow that route anymore. It is actually on the same road as I-64.



I've always liked naming of the roads. For example, Chicago has Dan Ryan (I-90/94) or the Stevenson (I-55). I think the interstates in St. Louis have names too, but no one refers to them. Besides who drives the "McGwire" to work anyway?

I also like the idea of naming the expressways (why do they call them highways in St. Louis???). I-70 from downtown out past the airport is the Mark Twain Expressway, and hwy 40/I-64 from downtown west to past the city limits (I don't know how far) is the Daniel Boone Expressway. I don't know why or when they stopped naming expressways (or calling them by their names)...seems it would be more difinitive.

In the case of the Mark McGuire Highway and Rosa Parks Highway, they are just sections, not the whole stretch into downtown.

Why do you care what other people call the highway? People calling I-60 "Highway 40" is common local terminology... I think it gives a place charachter.



Same with the airport being called "Lambert Field." It was once called that officially and the name stuck. It's not "wrong" to call it that.



How retarded would it sound if everyone said "Lambert-St. Louis International Airport" everytime they were referring to it?



And another thing, there is a good reason the media uses the term "Lambert Field" so often. In journalism, the shortest, most concise way to say something is nearly always used. And Lambert Field is universally understood to mean the airport.



You may think a different or more proper name would sound better, but good luck getting hundreds of thousands of people to change their terminology. Seriously, most people do not put that much thought into it.

212,



It's about the overall St. Louis attitude of clinging to all things past, and not really embracing the future, or embracing change. There are so many people that just seem to want to hold to the past, when this city has an oppurtunity to explode in the future. But that only happens if residents stop resisting anything that seems like change.



And it's still called Lambert because it is Lambert. The name hasn't changed, it's still Lambert. I've never called it 'Lambert Field', it's just Lambert.

The Record of Decision has finally been issued. According to this article construction is supposed to start late next year west of Brentwood.



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It will always be 40. I will make it a point not to adopt the new terminology. "The new I-64" is just another way of becoming conformist and following the crowd of other cities. Why does quirky have to mean "stuck"? It doesn't.

STLgasm, thanks for that!!! When New Yorkers have quirks people laugh. They make sitcoms around it. When St. Louis has a quirk, people look for the worst motive.

We'll just have to agree to disagree on this point.



Most of the STL quirks I like and have fun with, but the whole 40 thing is just holding on to a past that we're trying to put in the past, IMO.

It doesn't really matter either way that much.



But, why is calling it 40 holding us back? Why does it need to be put in the past?



I agree that we need to put some things behind us, like the Delmar Divide, the City/County Wall, etc. But what is the harm here? Not arguing, just want to know the logic. Who knows, maybe I will change my mind.

I think I stated this before, but it's that Old St. Louis mindset that I'm so weary of. It's not so much about the 'New I-64' as it is about the Old Hwy 40.



So many people in the Lou just hold onto their old tired notions of what is and what should be, particularly in the city. It's an old attitude that isn't changing despite the changes in the city. And it's something that I truly hope dies with the next generation, but I'm afraid it won't because of the mindset being instilled in their children. It's like it's passed down.



A quick story...a few years ago I was working PT as a teller at a bank in Kirkwood. A lady came in to get her address changed. I asked her what she wanted it changed to, and if she had proof of her new address. She told me no, she didn't move, but her mailing address was listed as 'St. Louis, MO' instead of Kirkwood. She said, "I don't live in that nasty dirty city, I don't want that on my mail." The urbanist in my wanted to say, "And when was the last time you visited that dirty city?" But as a customer service person, I knew better, so I appeased her in changing it to K-wood.



There's also the post earlier that somebody said there dad wouldn't by any property where you can 'hear gun-shots nearby'. Like that's all the city is to them.



It's time to wipe out that old attitude, and holding onto the idea of Hwy 40 to me is not one of them, but it's indicitive of the attitude. A cycle of failure. St. Louis is changing, but the vast majority of the metro population doesn't see it because they aren't looking, and the media isn't showing them, either. So I think it's up to the younger generation of St. Louis, our young urban-minded folks like those here, to change the attitudes of the old.



Anyway, sorry for being longwinded.

Trent, I appreciate your long and thoughtful answer. And I agree with everything you are saying. Except for one thing. I don't think saying 40 is a harmful part of that mindset. I used to know a hateful old queen that refused to accept that Stix, Baer, & Fuller became Dillards. When he wrote out his check to pay his bill, he filled it in as Stix, Baer, & Fuller for years. That is classic St. Louis, I know what you mean. But cranky old St. Louis is something that amuses me and it isn't all bad.

The county folks don't know the fun their missing by not living in the city, just this past Tuesday I got to chase a prostitute off my front sidewalk. Much better IMO then spending a summer evening chasing lightning bugs much like I used to in Sunset Hills.