Has there been any discussion whatsoever about freeway removal in the St. Louis region since CityArchRiver?
44 East of Kingshighway/Vandeventer just grinds my gears.
44 East of Kingshighway/Vandeventer just grinds my gears.
DB can probably fill you in on this, but he's sated before that any actual removal of the high way near downtown would have to wait over a decade or so because of the money the federal DOT invested in the Arch Ground project. Otherwise we'd owe that money back to them.
And I don't think anybody has seriously broached removing the highway beyond that stretch. Though I fully agree with you.
Hopefully when those become due for MAJOR repairs we can give removal serious consideration.
And I don't think anybody has seriously broached removing the highway beyond that stretch. Though I fully agree with you.
Hopefully when those become due for MAJOR repairs we can give removal serious consideration.
- 9,674
Generally the FHWA is not happy when someone takes their $ for a project and than tears it out within 10 years.
this is not to be confused with the original project or anything outside the 10 years...FHWA specifically says that those monies do not have to be paid back..
another issue a lot of these major interstates are also part of the Defense Dept war plan so the chance of FHWA of signing off on a removal is pretty small.
What are some reasons a State would want to withdraw/remove an Interstate segment?
The following list, while not comprehensive, identifies examples of why States may consider withdrawal of a segment from the Interstate System. For example, urban Interstate spurs that terminate in downtown areas might better meet local transportation and livability needs if they were downgraded to urban boulevards. In one case, an Interstate segment that was to connect to a future Interstate route became impractical due to community opposition and environmental concerns, and so the segment would never function as part of the Interstate System. Land use adjacent to the segment may have changed substantially over the years. As a result, the segment no longer serves the intent of the Interstate System.
this is not to be confused with the original project or anything outside the 10 years...FHWA specifically says that those monies do not have to be paid back..
another issue a lot of these major interstates are also part of the Defense Dept war plan so the chance of FHWA of signing off on a removal is pretty small.
What are some reasons a State would want to withdraw/remove an Interstate segment?
The following list, while not comprehensive, identifies examples of why States may consider withdrawal of a segment from the Interstate System. For example, urban Interstate spurs that terminate in downtown areas might better meet local transportation and livability needs if they were downgraded to urban boulevards. In one case, an Interstate segment that was to connect to a future Interstate route became impractical due to community opposition and environmental concerns, and so the segment would never function as part of the Interstate System. Land use adjacent to the segment may have changed substantially over the years. As a result, the segment no longer serves the intent of the Interstate System.
What do you think it would cost to bury I-44/I-55 from the "Lid" to about 7th street? I know the Big Dig in Boston was way expensive and went way over budget. Are we talking a couple billion, tens of billions?
There may not be a stomach for that type of project. But I think it could accomplish a lot. Better connections between Lafayette Square, Lasalle Park, Chouteau's Landing, and Soulard. The possibility of better traffic flow on the highway if buried with wider lanes. I-44 under the Lid gets really slow since it goes down to 2 lanes. Likely more development opportunities on opened up land.
There may not be a stomach for that type of project. But I think it could accomplish a lot. Better connections between Lafayette Square, Lasalle Park, Chouteau's Landing, and Soulard. The possibility of better traffic flow on the highway if buried with wider lanes. I-44 under the Lid gets really slow since it goes down to 2 lanes. Likely more development opportunities on opened up land.
- 9,674
about $300-500M per mile so $900m to $1.5B for that stretch. utility relocation would be a pain, i would imagine 100s of years of utility laying in the area has created a nice mess under the current road way.
![]()
mapped out utilities under one section of the Big Dig...
![]()
the project's underground utility relocation program moved 29 miles of gas, electric, telephone, sewer, water, and other utility lines maintained by 31 separate companies. All told, about 5,000 miles of fiber optic cable and 200,000 miles of copper telephone cable were installed
mapped out utilities under one section of the Big Dig...
the project's underground utility relocation program moved 29 miles of gas, electric, telephone, sewer, water, and other utility lines maintained by 31 separate companies. All told, about 5,000 miles of fiber optic cable and 200,000 miles of copper telephone cable were installed
- 989
The utility issue could be a pain, especially since there may be unknown lines buried as well. But it also could be a means of improving the utility infrastructure in the area since some could use improvement anyway.