I-64 MO Opens Dec 7

[ydkj0022]

They're holding a press conference right now.  Pete Rahn just announced the opening date will be Dec 7.  The project is expected to come in $11 Million under budget.

[Revive 755]

^ Hopefully this will reduce some of the traffic on I-270 (which seems to be becoming unstable most of the afternoon now) and on EB I-70 just before entering the depressed section.  Shame though since some of the much needed improvements on the side streets will probably be removed, such as the center turn lane on Clayton Road and many of the traffic lights installed to handle rerouted traffic will likely revert back to mostly unwarranted all-way stops.

[ydkj0022]

Regarding Clayton, it's up to the cities the road goes through to decide what to do with it.  Contrary to what you might think, Clayton isn't as heavily used as the volume of cars using it during the closure might lead you to believe.

As for many of the signals, timing, etc, they're deciding those on a case by case basis.  Much of the retiming on roads like Olive (SR-340); Page Ave (SSR-D), Manchester Rd (SR-100) and Lindbergh Blvd (U.S. 67) will probably remain the way it is as the timing improvements and synchronization were  needed upgrades on those roads anyway.

Don't expect many decisions as to what will be done until springtime when they'll be able to go out and make change.  I know the removal of the extra lanes on I-44 and I-70 won't be removed until a spring-summer 2010 resurfacing project on each freeway.

[Revive 755]

Clayton still makes a nice alternative when I-64 is not a good choice due to an accident, or as a back way to the Galleria/Brentwood area.  Plus I'm not convinced the cities will make the best choices for the road, since one of them has possibly the most useless stopsign on the planet:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=38.617271,-90.419683&spn=0,359.996567&t=k&z=19&layer=c&cbll=38.617236,-90.41957&panoid=crKKMyvOkYbvmbugX8IsDw&cbp=12,300.54,,0,13.23

Then I believe there was a controversial but much needed signal on Elm Avenue at Swon in Webster Groves that was to be only temporary since it 'destroyed the character of the neighborhood,' but was needed long before US 40 closed.

[Revive 755]

First AM rush hour data:
http://www.modot.org/stlouis/news_and_information/District6News.shtml?action=displaySSI&newsId=43861

Curious that the volumes on I-55 decreased; I would have expected it to stay the same or slightly increase with some traffic using I-55 to access the reopened section of I-64.

Maybe I didn't see another sign, but the new exit from EB I-64 to Bellevue does not having any non butterfly sign mention until the sign at the exit. (Butterfly sign example:  http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=38.632545,-90.294898&spn=0,359.993134&t=k&z=18&layer=c&cbll=38.632533,-90.294796&panoid=t0F2lOWn93nVwl5MrA9xlA&cbp=12,250.45,,0,-3.86)  IMHO, there should be at least a "Bellevue Ave 1/4 Mile" sign.

I've ranted about this before, but the Clayton/Skinker/Oakland/I-64 area operated rather miserably yesterday.  Since MoDOT eliminated the WB entrance/EB exit to/from Oakland, someone should have looked at realigning Clayton in that area.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=38.633052,-90.303884&spn=0.002929,0.006866&t=k&z=18