Tuesday, April 10, 2012

A Chance to Fix a 50 Year Mistake?... Not Really

I-70 Constuction 1964 02.jpg
Construction of the depressed lanes and the Arch in 1964
Image from the Western Historical Manuscript Collection at UMSL

This afternoon MODOT will be holding a public meeting for people to look at "alternatives" for the proposed lid over I-70 to the Arch grounds. The meeting will be held at St. Louis City Hall at 1200 Market Street from 3:00-5:00 pm (real convenient for people who work during the day!) in the Board of Aldermen board room on the 2nd floor.


This dog & pony show is to fulfill MODOT's federally mandated requirement to seek "input" from the public regarding changes being made to the section of highway between Downtown St. Louis and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Arch grounds).


NPR reported yesterday morning that MODOT will not consider the popular idea of removing the highway and installing an at-grade boulevard between Downtown and the Arch grounds because they are concerned about traffic (although it has never been fully studied) and such a project could not be completed by the artificially mandated "deadline" of October 28, 2015, which is the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Arch. This date is fairly meaningless when you consider that the park surrounding the Arch was not completed for over a decade after the completion of the Arch. 


Recently however, it was announced that a traffic study will be done for removal of the elevated highway section between Washington and Cass Avenue.

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