I am fortunate as I don’t require 40 to get to work. My sympathies to those who do. I will not take any other job, contract/short-term or otherwise that requires me to rely on this corridor. The alternative routes/means are simply not there, no matter what MODOT tries to sell us. We are paying the price for our short-sightedness and inability as a community to provide for our transportation needs in the forseeable future.

I would love to have been able to take Metrolink when I worked downtown a couple of years ago, but it doesn’t come anywhere near my home (or near the homes of the vast majority of county ridership that would swell its numbers by the thousands - alas, another argument for another day…). Just one more in a litany of “coulda been shoulda been” opportunities lost.

I still don’t understand why they have to shut down then entire highway, or why they couldn’t do this with limited lane closures. In my opinion, slowdowns for three years would have been preferable to no highway at all for two. Who really had input as to how this was planned?

There are alternatives, and which ones we use will be determined by how traffic moves once the section of Highway 40 is closed.

I don’t use highway 40 much. I spend much of my time outside the 270 loop, so I don’t expect to have to deal with this headache on a regular basis. I paid my dues in the 90’s when 55 was expanded.

Actually, the 2008 closure of the western section of the project will not affect me. I live and work well to the north of this area. I couldn’t tell you when the last time was that I used the Brentwood/Ballas stretch of Hwy 40. I do, however, use I-170 southbound to Hwy 40 eastward to get to various city attractions, and the eastern segment shutdown in 2009 will make me slighty crazy. Of course, the eastern segment has already had it’s messy weekend closures and restrictions(ie, the Tamm Avenue overpass)practically all year in 2007, so I’ve been using alternate routes on occassion. What I think is really sad for the west county folks is that they won’t be able to use the western segment at all in 2008 and still won’t be able to use the eastern segment to get to city attractions in 2009. So they’ll be cut off from “civilization” for two years. In addition, there really aren’t any good east/west routes from I-270 to Brentwood to take up the slack. I’ve got a handpainted picture of all that traffic sitting in gridlock on Ladue Road…. And, Gawdamighty! what’s going to happen if there is a major closure on Hwy 70 or Hwy 44 (say, a tanker truck accident with fatalities) and all the folks in the downtown area now have no way to get home except on arterial roads?!? I think I’m just going to hunker down in my little corner of the world and become a hermit.

It won’t need to be as dramatic as a tanker, Pat. Unfortunaly now, 44 becomes a parking lot if there is the slightest fender bender. At least 2-3 of the current 4 lanes close until they get the wreck over to the shoulder - and then if emergency equip is involved - they use the shoulder to get there. Once 44 is re-striped to 5 lanes, there will be no left or right shoulders. So, Einsteins at MODOT, where will the wreckage go? The paper said they are working with First Responders to get to the wrecks quicker to clear them quicker. With the 5 lanes at a standstill and no shoulders to use, how are the First Responders supposed to get there? Doesn’t anybody drive these roads for at least a week or so DURING RUSH HOUR before they come up with these riduculous plans? Use common sense MODOT!!

This fun will happen all over again in a few years because rumor has it, they are not using the high technology road materials available for lasting road surfaces. Again! They hired a guy to oversee it that did a horribly bad job in the southwest. Cutting a bit of corners doesn’t help in the long run. Bonuses for early completion only tempt the bad contractors to do a bad job. Cure times be damned. We already saw that with a bridge or two recently. Think of that while sitting in traffic. Maybe next time you will insist that it be done right. Idiotos RULE in STL land. Or is it bad union heads? Time to take on that mission your church wanted you to do and leave for three years.

We visited from out of town and we think it’s great that they are fixing the roads in Missouri.Drive down south say Georgia and you’ll thank your lucky stars that you don’t live there.The highways are a total mess.

I live in Illinois and work by Westport in St. Louis, I take 64 to MLK to 70 West to 270 South to Dorsett and have noticed significant delays on these roads that I use and none are near the 40 construction, one of the answers for this problem was to add a lane by removing the side of the road where you pull off for numerous reasons on 70 between 170 and 270. Now this new lane while decreasing the size of the existing lanes make them so narrow my small Elantra doesn’t even fit in the lane, I am continually getting out of a huge trucks way because I am afraid for my life.

Every other day someone says they are going to just take 70 or 255 to 270. I am telling you, those of you that utilize 70 will be taking their lives in their hands because everyday is going to be a nightmare.

And not only that but after living through the lane expansions in Illinois on interstate 64 between my exit 16 to exit 9 for I can’t tell you how many years, and the ramp closure to the MLK off of 70 east, I am done with this….as you will all be happy to hear I will be looking closer to home for new employment even though I love my job. I can spend up to 4 hours commuting daily where it normally should take 45 minutes each way in normal traffic, I just don’t want to take anymore time away from my family.

One last bit of wisdom, please drive safe and be patient we all want to make it home alive. What I do effects you and what you do will effect me. Thank you for allowing me to vent.

There have been times in the past when I-44 has been a nightmare with one or two lanes closed at the River Des Peres. I’ve found that taking I-270 South to I-55 North to downtown adds only 10 minutes to the drive.

You might as well stick a fork in the Galleria. Shoppers from west St. Louis County have no way to get there, and no way back.

It would have been nice if they could have waited until the metrolink actually serviced the people along the affected route before promoting it as an alternative — the only public transportation you have if you live along 40 is a bus..which is not any better or faster than sitting in a car and your car smells better. I think MODOT has totally underestimated the impact of this project — it will divide the city east/west — I don’t know many people who plan on fighting their way downtown or to Clayton on the weekends for entertainment — hopefully MODOT has $ in their budget to support the business’ who will struggle. If not we will just have to wait and see what is left when you can finally get there…