Joseph Passanise’s new effort, dubbed “Operation Reopen 40,” will hold its first meeting tonight — right before the Lindbergh bridge gets knocked down.

According to his release, the meeting will begin at 9 p.m. “on the west side of Lindbergh Blvd. under the Highway 40 Bridge…. scheduled to be demolished at 10:00 p.m.”

As he continues: “Only perfect conditions of light traffic, good weather and no accidents can prevent gridlock on the present highway system that has little capacity to handle imperfect conditions of heavy traffic, bad weather and accidents.

“MODOT has lied by telling us that Highway 40 would never be closed, and risks our safety by reducing lane width and shoulders on I-44 and I-70. Now, MODOT wants to make sure the closure of Highway 40 is irreversible by demolishing the Highway 40 bridges over Lindbergh, Brentwood and Clayton-Warson within the next three weeks….”

Attendees are advised to “park your car on one of the public parking lots within the Plaza Frontenac Shopping Center or the LaChateau Village which are located on the Westside of Lindbergh Blvd. Walk about 5 minutes to the walk area on the west side of Lindbergh Blvd. under the Highway 40 Bridge.

“Do not walk within the travel lanes of Lindbergh Blvd, but stay on the shoulder and walk area. Bring a flashlight and dress warmly. Feel free to bring signs. By assembling and walking along the shoulder area we are exercising our First Amendment rights of free speech.”