New I-70 Mississippi River Bridge

[SFPredsFan]

Why did they build the bridge so narrow? It's 4 lanes but MODOT says it's built to be restriped to 6 lanes later if needed. By the looks of it, that would eliminate the inside and outside e-lanes. And what's up with the low railings on the outsides of the bridge? One spinout on ice or a crash and over the rail you go down to the Mississippi River. Looks like a nice bridge but could be obsolete in a couple of years if not sooner and potentially dangerous in bad weather or crashes.

[KEVIN_224]

Is there a map anywhere which shows how I-70 was re-routed to this new bridge?

[texaskdog]

looking at the aeriel, I'm surprised it's not even further north but probably had to do with arch view.  What is that NW of where 64 comes in from the SE?  Looks like an old removed alignment and removed bridge?

[kharvey10]

Next month, the St. Louis Roadgeek Meet will happen and this bridge will be heavily featured.  In the meantime there is some posts on https://www.facebook.com/groups/369721483111108/ - the St. Louis Roads group.

[Duke87]

Welp, now there's another little piece of I-70 that I'm missing...

[rickmastfan67]

Is there a map anywhere which shows how I-70 was re-routed to this new bridge?

OpenStreetMap does.  It's not 100% perfect, but it's the only map that shows it right now.
http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=15/38.6390/-90.1693

[texaskdog]

Is there a map anywhere which shows how I-70 was re-routed to this new bridge?

OpenStreetMap does.  It's not 100% perfect, but it's the only map that shows it right now.
http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=15/38.6390/-90.1693

Great program!  Never seen that before.

[countenance]

I am a St. Louisan, who works for most of the week in Jefferson City for about the first four months of this year.

And I'm a mild roadgeek.

I was back in town this past weekend, but was not able to go to either the pre-opening walk/run nor drive the bridge on its first official day of traffic.  I hope this coming weekend, I can.

Until then, I've been able to whet my appetite a bit on these decidedly less than roadgeek quality videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQNYNHW-QH8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEiIrQuMTWc

Both go WB on the new stretch, the first approaches from WB 64 and the second approaches from SB/WB 55/70.

And, oh boy, there are lots of goofs and other issues that I've had with this project for as long as I've been following it.  This is going to be long:

1.  Why did IDOT use Clearview but MoDOT use Freeway Gothic?  Will MoDOT ever do Clearview?  I would have thought they would have started on the New 64/40 project, but no.  I know that IDOT has been using Clearview on new signage since at least 2008.

2.  Why did IDOT pick Kansas City as the control city for the new stretch of WB 70 but keep St. Louis as the CC on what remains of SB 55/WB 64?  If Kansas City is to be used for WB 70, then Memphis and Wentzville, the CCs that MoDOT uses for SB 55 and WB 64 in St. Louis, respectively, should be the control cities here at the tri-level in East St. Louis.  Or, 55/64 should be "St. Louis Downtown South" and 70 should be "St. Louis Downtown North."  That Kansas City is the CC for the new stretch and bridge will make people think they're not actually going to St. Louis and make them think they're not actually going over the bridge.

Once you're on the Missouri side, it does make sense to use Kansas City as the CC for WB 70.  Which MoDOT does do.

3.  Other people noticed the failure of IDOT to take the covering off of the I-70 shield and the take away the "Closed" orange warning, which you still see in both videos.  I would hope they have taken care of that by now.

4.  Sign goof on WB 64 approaching:  It says it's "To" SB 55 and "To" WB US 40 but no trailblazer for WB 64 or SB IL 3.  When in reality all four routes are extant on the stretch of road those lanes will lead to.  No "To" is necessary on that BGS.  (About IL 3 being multiplex on the freeways -- More on that below.)

5.  How much is the weak side WB 64 to NB/EB 55/70 and the weak side left exit SB/WB 55/70 to EB 64 really used?  I'm thinking that IDOT could have taken the opportunity to delete those ramps.    Especially since there were no ramps provided for the opposite side weak side movements, EB 70 to SB/WB 55/64 and NB/EB 55/64 to WB 70.

6.  The ramp from WB 64 to WB 70 and the ramp from EB 70 to EB 64 are both single lane, though at least from the appearance of the first ramp in the first video, it looks like it could easily hold two lanes.  For what I'm thinking, over the long term, the new bridge will get more traffic fed to it from WB 64 than it will from SB/WB 55/70, and vice-versa, even though the ramps to "stay" on I-70 are both two lanes.  I think there is and will continue to be more day to day commuter traffic from the Metro East suburbs that I-64 brings to that point then the ones that I-55/70 bring to that point.  I think it terms of continued suburban development, the ones along 64 will be hotter.

7.  WB 64 approaching WB 70, the Kansas City control city overhead BGS:  It's marked IL 3 as well, not "To" IL 3, just IL 3, even though IL 3 does not and will never use that stretch of road, in spite of its exit with IL 3 ahead (more on that in a moment).

8.  Notice the billboards are already there on the new stretch of 70 between the bridge and the tri-level.  Of course they had a long time to know that the road was coming.  Usually though new freeway has some billboard-free grace period.

9.  The overhead BGS just before the curve leading to the bridge:  "Exit Only" for Tucker Blvd is above the lane that will be the mandatory exit, but no downward arrow pointing to that lane.

10.  First BGS before the start of the first cables in the cable-stay:  That's before the state line, but it's in Freeway Gothic.  I bet that's a MoDOT sign in IDOT territory.  Another hint is the big straight and straight/directional arrows, a hallmark of new MoDOT freeway-to-freeway overhead BGSes, some of which replaced the neat lane diagram BGSes.  Truthfully, I'm hot and cold about that new style, though I admit at times it has its uses.

11.  "City Limit St. Louis" is also the state line, but no indication there that it is the state line.  Except for the "Welcome to Missouri" standard blue sign along the right, right at the split.

12.  After the main span of the bridge, EB 70 gets a new lane on the right to facilitate the two-lane exit from I-70 to itself.  The bridge could have six lanes if it had no shoulders.  I'm wondering why they didn't just go ahead and stripe all six lanes.

However, I did read that 33,000 vehicles used the Stan Span on its first full business day open to traffic, yesterday.  MoDOT/IDOT anticipate a 40k AADT on the bridge, and if that's what it gets, that's only 10k AADT per lane, which is below the urbanized St. Louis metro area footprint average of 12.5k AADT per lane as of 2007.  If that's how it turns out, I doubt they'll need to restripe for six any time soon.

13.  As part of this project and ancillary to it, St. Louis City reconstructed and extended Tucker Blvd through the north part and northern fringes of Downtown to Cass Street, so that Tucker would instantly default into I-70.  Here's the problem:  This wasn't originally part of this project, but later on, a ramp from EB 70 in St. Louis City to Tucker/Cass was added, and that actually opened a few months ago.  However, there is no way to get on WB 70 to go toward the Airport etc from NB Tucker Blvd -- If you enter I-70 from NB Tucker Blvd, your only choice is EB 70 toward Illinois.  I wonder if that's going to be later add.

14.  There is no way obviously to access EB 70 from what is now WB 44, nor EB 44 from WB 70.  However, I don't think that's such a big deal, because MoDOT will eliminate the ramp from what is now WB 44 to NB/EB 55/70 as part of the project to build a new two-lane ramp for SB 55 to exit itself from the PSB, (also the 55 ramp going NB exiting itself onto the PSB will be widened to two lanes).  But incongruously, it will still be possible to exit from WB PSB to NB 44/NB Memorial Drive through the depressed section.

As an aside, until this past weekend, if you wanted to stay on I-55 or I-70 through St. Louis, you had to use single lane ramps coming to or from the PSB.  The new bridge and ramps means that there is no more single lane ramp to stay on I-70, and the PSB ramp reconstruction will mean the same for I-55.

15.  That said, there is now a quasi-wrong way multiplex in the depressed/elevated section of 44 formerly 70.  Before, you were going WB on 70 if you went north, now you're going EB on 44, and vice versa.  I have seen Twitter pics of MoDOT signs in downtown doubly marked West I-70/East I-44.

16.  I wish City to River would have come to fruition to replace the depressed and elevated section, formerly I-70 now I-44, with Memorial Drive.  Aside from the aesthetics of it all, it would have made things simpler at both interchanges on the west sides of both the Stan Span and the PSB.

17.  But for now, you'll have a weird section going on EB 44 approaching its now ultimate western terminus, and nothing will happen, you'll just default to WB 70.  Which leads me to...

18.  I-70's express lanes through St. Louis City.  There is no way to access them from the new roadway.  The only way to access them going WB is from the entrance to them on what is now EB 44 south of Cass Avenue, (accessing WB 70 express lanes from EB 44, talk about your wrong way bug), and on the other end, if you access the express lanes for EB 70 in North St. Louis City, you won't be able to access the Stan Span to stay on EB 70, you'll just default to either WB 44 or the express lanes' own dedicated exit to SB Broadway on the southern end.

The express lanes don't last long enough.  They made sense when 70 was first designed and St. Louis's suburban development didn't go much further than where the express lanes ended.  But now, with the 70 re-alignment, they're not even consistent from a route standpoint.  MoDOT should just eliminate the express lanes and give that space to new regular lanes on mainline 70 through the city.

19.  Like I said above, MoDOT will be redoing the PSB ramps.  As part of that project, it's going to "slide" the PSB enough to fit a new fifth eastbound lane on the bridge.  Why only eastbound?  Why not WB too to give us a nice round ten lanes?

20.  The new I-70/IL 3 interchange:  For now, it's not actually IL 3 at the interchange.  IL 3 still technically uses St. Clair Avenue, which parallels the new road at that point to the west.  So that interchange is offset -- The WB 70 exit for IL 3 control city East St. Louis (WHY?  Could have used Granite City/Cahokia) actually dumps you onto Exchange Avenue, and then you have to make a right turn to go south on Exchange, then a right turn to go over the overpass, then cross over the freeway, then go across the other side's exit ramps, then go over actual St. Clair Avenue/IL 3, then that road ends and you use a ramp to get to actual IL-3.

However, IL 3 will eventually be re-located in that area, off the interstates, (thankfully eliminating a multiplex hell and maybe also some goofball left on-off ramps), and onto a new four lane divided highway alignment along the East Riverfront, and the new overpass there will eventually be for IL 3 itself.  Whether or not IDOT has plans to re-do the eastern half exit ramps so that they actually interact with what will be IL 3 and eliminate the offset movement with Exchange Avenue, I don't know.  As an aside, relocating IL 3 was part of the original new river bridge project, (along with a lot of other things), but in order to shave costs from $2 billion to $700 million, it had to be deferred, and a lot of other things had to be scaled back or delayed.

21.  Second video, four seconds in.  Sign goof:  It still indicates I-70 going where it no longer goes, even though by now the cover has been taken off the 70 shield on the "Kansas City" OBGS.  Which means taken literally, you think you have two different WB 70s.  Also notice the exit to the aforementioned Exchange Avenue -- That exit was already there but had to be reconfigured as part of this project, it was and still is east-facing only.

22.  Not way too related, but did IDOT never consider extending the expressway grade IL 15 to meet the PSB complex using the ramps marked 13th St/Tudor Avenue?  For what I'm thinking, a new freeway starting there overtaking IL 15 through Belleville and extending way south to meet I-24 south of Marion could be a perfect extension of I-24 so that I-24 ends (quasi) in St. Louis.  However, with IDOT committed to (and probably by now starting) six laning 57 from Mount Vernon to I-24, I doubt I-24 will ever be extended.  At the very least, you could hook those ramps up with IL 15 to make it easier for southern Belleville commuters.

[Revive 755]

I'm getting the new bridge on Google Maps this morning, but it is showing I-70 being in two locations at once:  link

EDIT:  Except for some reason the interchange with extended I-44 in Missouri is not showing up.

EDIT 2:

.  Why did IDOT use Clearview but MoDOT use Freeway Gothic?  Will MoDOT ever do Clearview?  I would have thought they would have started on the New 64/40 project, but no.  I know that IDOT has been using Clearview on new signage since at least 2008.

Personally, I'm very happy MoDOT has stayed of the Clearview bandwagon.  I'm still hoping FHWA revokes the interim approval for Clearview someday.

Also, for #5 and #6, MoDOT and IDOT downsized the project twice to the current configuration.  Supposedly in twenty years they will consider finishing the project with:

1) A twin span for the river bridge

2) Adding ramps to/from the new bridge and I-44 to the south

3) Building a cutoff between the bridge and I-55 just east of IL 203 (with the existing bridge connector possibly being numbered as I-564)

4) A complete rebuild of the Tri-Level.  The Tri-Level rebuild would include replacing the I-55 SB to I-64 EB ramp with a right side ramp, removal of the ramps between I-55 and the bridge connector, and rebuilding mainline I-55 with softer curves and a smaller median.

See part of Appendix C from the Access Justification Report for maps on these.

I've heard though that by the time the twin span comes under consideration, a new south bridge could be up for consideration.

16.  I wish City to River would have come to fruition to replace the depressed and elevated section, formerly I-70 now I-44, with Memorial Drive.  Aside from the aesthetics of it all, it would have made things simpler at both interchanges on the west sides of both the Stan Span and the PSB.

And screwed everyone south of US 40, reduced access to alternatives to the PSB, and probably made the congestion issues with the PSB ramps worse.  I can currently walk under the elevated section of I-70 in about 10 seconds for most of its length; I highly doubt I could cross a boulevard in less than 30 seconds waiting for a gap in traffic.  Crossing at a stoplight would probably take around a minute given the needs of coordination.

[Stephane Dumas]

Looks like Google maps had updated and show I-70 bridge
http://goo.gl/maps/1spdt  Bing and Mapquest didn't updated yet.

[rickmastfan67]

Looks like Google maps had updated and show I-70 bridge
http://goo.gl/maps/1spdt  Bing and Mapquest didn't updated yet.

But now Google shows two different routes for I-70 there.  And they don't have the I-44 extension added yet.

[triplemultiplex]

So begins Wisconsin's monopoly on triple concurrencies.
(Close, but no cigar, North Carolina; 73-85-840 doesn't quite happen.)

[mukade]

So begins Wisconsin's monopoly on triple concurrencies.
(Close, but no cigar, North Carolina; 73-85-840 doesn't quite happen.)

Until I-69 joins I-74 and I-465

[dfilpus]

So begins Wisconsin's monopoly on triple concurrencies.
(Close, but no cigar, North Carolina; 73-85-840 doesn't quite happen.)

It is not close, I 840 (currently Future) is completely north of I 40. It will concurrent with I 73 on the west end and I 785 on the east end, once it is built out and signed.

[Grzrd]

So begins Wisconsin's monopoly on triple concurrencies.
(Close, but no cigar, North Carolina; 73-85-840 doesn't quite happen.)

Until I-69 joins I-74 and I-465

It's not a triple, but Memphis, if you are not concerned that I-69 is currently unsigned in Tennessee, has an interesting "contiguous triple-double" with I-69/I-55, I-69/I-240, and I-69/I-40.

Google Maps does not appear to be concerned:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=memphis+tn&hl=en&ll=35.101372,-90.018196&spn=0.228359,0.308647&sll=32.678125,-83.178297&sspn=7.514701,9.876709&t=h&hnear=Memphis,+Shelby,+Tennessee&z=12

[triplemultiplex]

So begins Wisconsin's monopoly on triple concurrencies.
(Close, but no cigar, North Carolina; 73-85-840 doesn't quite happen.)

It is not close, I 840 (currently Future) is completely north of I 40. It will concurrent with I 73 on the west end and I 785 on the east end, once it is built out and signed.

Whoops.

[I94RoadRunner]

I have about 20 pics of the new bridge, but you are all out of luck because I have no idea how to post an image .....

[rte66man]

I have about 20 pics of the new bridge, but you are all out of luck because I have no idea how to post an image .....

Put them on Flickr (or similar site), then post the link here.  That's what I do.

[Brandon]

I have about 20 pics of the new bridge, but you are all out of luck because I have no idea how to post an image .....

Put them on Flickr (or similar site), then post the link here.  That's what I do.

There'll be a shitload more (moar?) of them come Saturday evening/Sunday morning after the St Louis meet.

[I94RoadRunner]

I wish I could get down there this weekend, however it is not likely. If only I had delayed my vacation by a week, I would be headed home and could have stopped in!

[I94RoadRunner]

The new alignment is only temporary for I-70. There are plans on the east side of the bridge to extend I-70 further east: http://newriverbridge.org/documents/NMRBRe-Evaluation%203.pdf
Post Merge: March 11, 2014, 07:18:24 PM
Here is one pic of the new bridge: http://www.interstate-guide.com/images070/i-070_wb_stan_musial_br.jpg

[Revive 755]

Google has updated its aerial imagery around Downtown St. Louis.  All of the pavement appears to have been complete for the bridge at the time of the aerials, but not all of the pavement markings.

[kharvey10]

http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/2014/04/14/stan-musial-bridge-traffic/7721667/

In the news yesterday, but give it a few months when MoDOT starts work on the Poplar St Bridge and IDOT starts work on the MLK and we will see what the numbers really show.

[Henry]

The new alignment is only temporary for I-70. There are plans on the east side of the bridge to extend I-70 further east: http://newriverbridge.org/documents/NMRBRe-Evaluation%203.pdf
Post Merge: March 11, 2014, 07:18:24 PM
Here is one pic of the new bridge: http://www.interstate-guide.com/images070/i-070_wb_stan_musial_br.jpg

Wow, that's a beautiful bridge there!