What’s your impression of the newly-opened Hwy. 40?
It’s been nearly a year since work on “The New I-64″ (more commonly known here as Highway 40) began with the shutdown of all driving lanes between I-270 and I-170/Brentwood Boulevard.
Now, the western portion of the highway is open and the section between I-170 and Kingshighway is closed. That will most likely cause more headaches for St. Louis drivers and residents – and probably is.
I’ve recently driven the new 5-mile section of roadway going west from I-170 to I-270, and had the feeling that I was in another city. Four lanes in each direction and five lanes in places, but was struck by the sterilized feeling of the highway – clean, modern – like driving with tunnel vision!
Only time will tell how the completed project will improve traffic for the region, and that won’t happen until next December.
Others I’ve talked with have the same impression – clean, sterile and almost like you’re in a different city.
If you’ve driven the new roadway in either direction, what’s your impression?
I haven’t drove on the re-opened roadway yet, but my initial impression of it from the author’s description of its ‘ambiance’ is—Who Cares?
They forgot to put the shoulders in. God help anyone who has to pull over there. Same for the entrance ramps from I170. No shoulders. I was talking to a Ladue Police Officer who said it looked like it was design4ed by someone who doesn’t drive. Not a big fan of the exit ramp from westbound 40 onto Spoede. Have to take a hairpin turn there as you exit. At night it looks like it goes straight when actually you have to do a 180. How many people will get hurt before they fix this
It’s a road. Like Consol said, who cares? When the entire section is finished I doubt it will change much around here. All the backups I see are on 270. I’m sure that won’t change.
I have been avoiding it for so long that I have not used it yet, and will not use it much until it is finished. (kind of like putting on your pants, but only through one leg)
You think they could have gotten the exit sign for Lindbergh right. All they had to do was cover up the “South” on the sign.
Well I like it. It’s straighter, smooth, and wide. Gets me to work and home quicker. I have noticed the tunnel vision feeling Lew describes. The sound walls are so high that you never really know where you are because you can’t see any landmarks. That might be nice for the people whose houses are close to the road though. I’m not sure how I feel about the new signs on the overpasses, with the big bold black font and the weird red design on the left and right of the name.
Definitely smoother, flatter and easy to drive. The scraping concrete technology to smooth the road surface is outstanding. Getting to and from 170 and 40 are easy. I do agree the walls make it very sterile.
I remember in California, they were complaining about the walls. Many of the people who were blocks away from the highway were experiencing higher road noise than before. The walls were somehow throwing the sound up and over further away from the road. Wonder if those close to the highway are experiencing that.
Try going east on 40 and getting off at Brentwood. The drivers on Brentwood do not obey the stop lights. It take 2 to 3 lights to be able to make a left on to Brentwood from 40. So much for the law of the road.
It’s better than the old piece of junk that was out there.
I now take it east all the way to the Brentwood exit, and i think it’s a great improvement. Optimistically enough, I think it’s a great beginning, and we’ll realize real benefits when they finish the easter leg.
My only complaint is the Spoede Road exit. It beats the convoluted mess it used to be — a little. Possible gains here are partially negated by the stupid rotary they put in. As I’ve always maintained — who in his/her right mind thinks a rotary ever improves anything traffic-wise? When does driving around in a cirlce possibly benefit anyone? Rotaries are another example of a bad idea that somehow got institutionalized.