此内容暂无简体中文译文，以下为英文原文。
Historical February–March 2006 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
On January 12, I attended a forum on the reconstruction of Highway 40 at the Washington University School of Law, sponsored by Rep. Rachel Storch (D64).
It was an interesting evening that reminded me too much perhaps of the Alito hearings: So much was not said. MODOT Project Director Lesley Solinger Hoffarth and Deputy Director Ron Morris gave the general outline of the project.
It will deal with 40/I64 over 12 miles between Spoede Rd. and Sarah Street. Both city and county will be affected.
There will be new entrances and exits and all bridges need to be replaced.
An additional lane in each direction will be added between I-170 and Spoede. Highway 40 may or may not be closed during the construction. Alternate routes will be indicated but it will be tough for everyone.
A team made up of a national contractor and locals will be selected to handle the reconstruction.
They will use the “design/ build” concept. They’ll start building at one end while continuing to redesign the route further along.
To learn more about this there is a web site: www.thenewi64.org. Unfortunately, the web site resembles a political infomercial as it talks about such matters as context-sensitive design.
It does have a lot of photos taken at the zoo. Funding of $535 million has been in place since July.
They will start to buy property very soon and are locating utilities.
They see the need to coordinate with the community.
They want to minimize disruption to their “customers,” i,e., motorists.
The workforce on this project will be 14% disadvantaged enterprises.
They have a working group to address workforce development and training of disadvantaged individuals. Their plan to handle traffic will be put together with all stakeholders: city, county municipalities, businesses.
They will communicate the best routes on a daily basis.
A representative from Metro indicated that the Forest Park Parkway will be open by spring.
A number of neighbors and regular Hwy. 40 users expressed concerns about the design and the possible highway closing. One Parkview neighbor asked if different teams would handle different sections of the highway as Metro had on the parkway and extension, since that had worked so well. “No” was the reply.
As was the case with the Metrolink expansion, no one mentioned the noise and dirt and shaking caused by this type of construction. Immediate neighbors, beware.
When asked about whether a freeway had been closed for such construction elsewhere, the MODOT representatives said yes.
However, the only example they were able to give was near Indianapolis.
We in Skinker DeBaliviere have accommodated ourselves to both construction and closure. Highway 40 handles 178,000 cars a day. Contemplate the magnitude of its closure. Entrances and exits can be made safer.
But will this extensive effort ease congestion? Traffic engineers will say yes. Many social scientists will say no. Congestion reappears with equal virulence within one year after construction.
If you ever visit Atlanta, check out the I85/I75 intersection, spaghetti junction. Georgia constructed that section for over 20 years.
The only place I know of where congestion has eased is in Detroit but there it is due to substantial population and business outmigration.
The forum was certainly a good idea and I hope there are more of them but only when MODOT gives hard answers about their major construction.
We are not customers or stakeholders; we are citizens who use 40 to get to work, to shop, to visit friends.
We will be inconvenienced no matter what. Those proximate to the highway will be affected more. Perhaps there should have been citizen input much earlier on.
A good example is the Bellevue access, which is crucial to St. Mary’s Hospital.
After the forum, MODOT announced that their previous plan to eliminate the Bellevue access had been overturned and that the Bellevue access ramps will be part of the revised plan.
It was community protest and the effective intervention of Richmond Heights that kept Bellevue in the plan.
It will be important to keep up the pressure to make sure MODOT does not close the highway and therefore severely limit access to the city. Metro has been plagued by significant delays and cost overages. What is MODOT doing to prevent this?
We are having a city renaissance – new housing everywhere, the loft district etc. What will be the effect of this highway project on the beautiful but fragile progress we have made?
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February–March 2006.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2006_02.pdf, printed page(s) 1; PDF page(s) 1.
