Des Roolensen: On my way to work in the morning I've regularly noticed "water trucks" -- some belonging to Fred Weber -- associated with the project filling up at one of the local fire hydrants on Bellevue. Please tell me there is an arrangement to pay the water company for this water.

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: Yes, the water trucks fill up from a designated fire hydrant that has a meter attached to it to determine how much water is being used and we are billed accordingly.

Dan

Amanda H.: Is it true that Big Bend Blvd. is going to close while Hanley Road is still closed? What alternate routes are you suggesting people take?

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: Yes, there will be as much as a two month overlap of construction on the two bridges, as we finish the Hanley Road bridge by the end of August and begin Big Bend on June 1. McCausland Avenue and the Bellevue bridge will always be available to cross I-64, as will the current detour at Hanley that takes you to I-170 or Brentwood.

Dan

raadjam: At McCausland, from the webcam looks like there is three old levels of pavement on the east side. Will this be taken out or is it in good shape be be built on.

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: Much of the existing pavement between McCausland and Hampton will be usable as the roadbed of the new highway, where we will place 9.5 inches of new concrete on top of what's already there. In the areas where we have to do a complete removal we will use 11 inches of new pavement on top of a roadbed of crushed concrete recycled from the old highway and bridges.

Dan

J: I'm sorry this is off topic however are there any future plans to reconstruct I-70 from Downtown to I-170? It seems like most of the problems on that stretch are because of lack of lanes and the curviness of the Interstate.

Also are there any future plans to recontruct the I-170 & I-70 Interchange?

thanks

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: MoDOT does not have any plans to reconstruct I-70 from downtown to I-170. The pavement is in good condition and we replaced all of the old deteriorated bridges about 10 years ago. You are right that the curves in the highway do contribute to the traffic problems through there. At some point, this section will need to be replaced but it is currently not on the region's long range transportation plan that looks out 25+ years.

The I-170 and I-70 interchange is also not on the long range plan. It was built in the 1980s as I-170 was being built to north county.

Linda Wilson

hkdrmd: Drive along any local highway that has seen recent repairs and construction and you will find all manner of debris left behind from those projects. Signs, sandbags. broken concrete, cones...name it, you can find it. If you want to see what I mean, take a drive on I-170. Besides being an eyesore, the material poses a distraction and hazard to drivers.

Why isn't this cleaned up as part of the project completion?

When does MoDOT plan to have this material removed, permanently?

Bob Dowgwillo
University City

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: Do you have someplace specific in mind? We always do a final clean up of our work areas before we're finished, and this won't be an exception. It could be that you are looking at an area that isn't completely finished yet, even though it is open to traffic.

Dan