How was your commute without four miles of Highway 40?
UPDATE: How many of you posted below something to this effect: “Yes, Highway 40 closed on Jan. 2, but the real test is how things go on Jan. 7″? Well, that day is here. Return and let us know how the “real test” went, since most schools are back in session and most people are not still on vacation.
Note: Comments from today, Jan. 7, start on this page. Read below for comments prior to that.
The original posting from Jan. 2:
Not sure if you heard about this…but Highway 40 shut down overnight between Ballas and I-170. We’ve featured the project in a special report, we’ve upgraded and promoted our online traffic reports, we’ve even done a game to try and have some fun with the project.
So, today was the first day we’ve had to cope with the change. And whether or not you usually drive on Highway 40, everyone’s expecting fall-out from the shutdown to affect drivers in other parts of the region.
So the question today: Did it affect you? How’d you deal with it? What route did you take? Was traffic heavier than usual on your usual commute?
Got photos from the Highway 40 reconstruction or the surrounding area? Click here and post them to our readers’ album.
Kurt is the director of social media for the Post-Dispatch, where he has worked since August 2002. He's been a journalist since 1982, covering municipal government, courts, education and two hurricanes as a reporter before becoming an editor. 
So I check out the highly touted post4trafficonline.com site at 5:27 am to see what it’s like. Not that the shutdown effects me but to see how my “Pope Principle” is fairing. According to the Key Routes Drive Times and Congestion section of the site I-64/US-40 westbound from Kingshighway to I-270 should be “gridlocked” with a 39 minute delay. So I look at the traffic cameras and I see…nothing. It appears there is just normal traffic on ALL major routes.
Now granted it is 5:30 in the morning so maybe this will change. However, that site reported gridlock last nite around 9pm as well while traffic cameras showed nothing. Right now all the news stations are looking for that first snowflake so they can report something.
Oh gods! It was horrible! Mayhem! Disaster! Pandemonium!
Err, no, wait. It was pretty much like every other morning. I suppose that volume was a bit heavier than normal for 5:30, but that could have been anything from holiday travelers to hitting a dense pocket of traffic. In any case, I’m much more interested in seeing how my homeward commute is impacted.
The biggest event was some schmuck coming to a dead stop in the middle of Hwy 40 (coming from the innerbelt) to exit on Hanley. Then again, silly stuff like that happens everyday.
My usual route is I-170 to Page in the morning out to Westport. In the evening it’s Midland which spits me out almost in my backyard once I take a few side streets. Page traffic has been heavier for the past month or so. Midland has picked up some volume. What I think is funny is how they’ve added the extra lanes to Page out by Westport. Number one, even the old-timers had a chore figuring out where they were supposed to be…God help us with the Newbies. Number two, I’ve seen emergency vehicles stuck in gridlock. With the shoulder now a lane, the emergency people just have to wait their turn at the lights because there’s nowhere for any motorist to go to get out of their way. Number three, I loved how “extra lane” buckled withing a couple of weeks and had to be repaired–let’s face it, those “extra lanes” are essentially a blacktop surface never intended to hold up to constant pounding from traffic.
It’s going to be interesting. But other than having to deal with a few more cars on my route, the daily commute is essentially no big deal.
I did it the easy way. Quit my job, went on welfare. Gonna’ put a sign at a traffic light someplace on an alternative route, “Thank Your Governor for this wonderful commute”. He’s the only one that could have stopped the shutdown. What a guy! Probably too busy worshipping in his Church of Money-mongers and Neo-nazis.
I have a 6:30 commute down eastbound 70. I had heard the apocalyptic predictions, but it was a normal commute for me.
I drove in at 6:45, and had no problems. Drove Manchester from Lindbergh to Hanley - no more traffic than normal. Hanley had light traffic, and 40 east was empty from there. Obviously, this is a light day, but my commute was no worse, maybe a minute or two faster than normal.
I have a commute from WB 44/NB 55 out to St. Charles on WB 70. Traffic was no different than usual, and there was no noticeable change on I-70 between 170 and 270.
Highway 40/64 west from Kingshighway to 170 was terrible! It was packed from 6:30-7:00! I was worried about this and now need to find a new route.
I left about 45 minutes earlier than usual (7:02) anticipating the worst for my Brentwood to Chesterfield commute. The alternate route actually took less time this morning than my practice run during rush hour. I guess things will be fine as long as I leave early. We’ll just have to see what it’s like when everyone is off of vacation and kids go back to school.