US-50 Lebanon Bypass

[Bobboau]

So because they were going to route it to a new alignment half a century ago that is why they are going to put an unnecessary dog leg into the new construction now. Despite the fact that new alignment has been abandoned almost the entire time and has effectively 0 chance of ever getting resurrected.


Sounds about right.

I have a feeling this latest delay was caused by the new metrolink station. If that hadn't become a priority the bypass would have been started on by now, and as soon as they are done with it, the bypass will be near the top of projects to work on. Though i do think I remember seeing widening i64 to 3 lanes from mile 19 to16, and some sort of work widening green mount where it crosses 64 on the list before it.

[edwaleni]

So because they were going to route it to a new alignment half a century ago that is why they are going to put an unnecessary dog leg into the new construction now. Despite the fact that new alignment has been abandoned almost the entire time and has effectively 0 chance of ever getting resurrected.


Sounds about right.

I have a feeling this latest delay was caused by the new metrolink station. If that hadn't become a priority the bypass would have been started on by now, and as soon as they are done with it, the bypass will be near the top of projects to work on. Though i do think I remember seeing widening i64 to 3 lanes from mile 19 to16, and some sort of work widening green mount where it crosses 64 on the list before it.

It had crossed my mind that there was a diversion of funding to support the new Metro-Link extension. Redirection is what killed most of US-50 upgrades to Carlyle, it got redirected to I-39. The money for the Metro-Link seemed to come about quickly (almost too quickly).

As for the critical thinking with regards to the new dog leg and making traffic recross tracks they just bridged, conventional wisdom believes most or all of the truck traffic will instead use IL-4 to reach I-64, instead of the stop and go via Lebanon.  Some think that US-50 will probably be simply directed down IL-4 to I-64 at Mascoutah. The current US-50 will be retired and turned over to St Clair County and for all intensive purposes the connection to the US-50 cloverleaf at Air Mobility Drive will be DOA.

Nothing public has been said about that routing, however, the massive new Boeing Naval drone plant at Mid-America might be the impetus for a redirect, I am sure it had something to do with the Metro-Link extension.

The last drawing I saw for the new US-50/IL-4 exit was for a one sided trumpet. If they are serious on redirecting US-50 south I would think they would dispense with that.

[Bobboau]

Even if the funding didn't get diverted the available work crews did.

I can see some logic in routing 50 down 4, but at the same time if you are headed west that will add 5 miles to your trip, and you can always just head down 4 even if 50 is not re-routed down it. There is also a Martin Brower McDonald's depot on 50 right there that isn't going anywhere.