Jim S: Hi Linda,
I wrote in last week regarding the sensors at Lindbergh and 64, and you replied that an engineer would check to see if they are working. As far as I can tell, they are all working, but the way the "light cycle" is set up is still frustrating. This morning, here is what I experienced:

I was going south on Lindbergh, and went into the left turn lane to get on 64 headed East. All southbound lights were red as I approaced the intersection, but I missed "tripping" the signal by just a couple of seconds. I started my timer as the light for straight-thru traffic turned green. I was the only car at the intersection. I did not see another car for another 1:03 (one minute and 3 seconds). This was a pair of cars that went through the intersection going northbound on Lindbergh. The "countdown clock" on the pedestrian signal then started at 1:09. That reached "zero" at 1:28. But the light still didn't change. Finally, my green left turn signal changed at 2:04.

Two minutes and four seconds seems like a very long time to have to wait at a virtually empty intersection. (Please note: this was not a singular occurance; the above scenario happens to me almost every time I go that route, and I will probably use Ladue Rd instead in the future) The sensor knew I was there; it appears that the "cycle" is programmed to not allow for a "quick change" for people entering or exiting the highway.

Can this be changed for certain times of the day? Thanks.

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: Thank you for sharing all of these detail. I will forward all of it to our traffic engineer to check. I talked to him last Wednesday about this and have not heard back. It is definitely possible to adjust the signal timing for time of day. Also, that signal is set up that the loops in the pavement identify what cars are waiting in what direction and the controller for that signal adjusts accordingly. That early in the morning it should adjust a little faster. Again, thanks for your information and I'll see what he can do.

Linda Wilson

cj: From previous answers it is clear why the connector distributors from Hanely to Brentwood will not be opened early. My question is with the construction that will occur around the Hanley bridge, and the access to Eager via Dale Ave I believe once Hanley re-opens and before the jug handle is open, has there been any consideration to opening the section of the north connector that would be a ramp from Hanley to I-170. I think this would mitigate a majority of the congestion aorund the south end of the Hanely bridge area when it re-opens.

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: Actually the north collector/distributor road is the one that would have to go through the concrete plant over by Brentwood, so that wouldn't work. Once we reopen Hanley and close the Hanley/Eager connection you'll have to take Meridian, which is the Brentwood city street that goes behind Best Buy, in order to get to Eager from Hanley. Right now traffic that would normally take the Hanley bridge is forced onto Eager/I-170/Brentwood by the detour. Once Hanley is back there won't be as much Eager traffic as there is now.

Dan

Jim Byrne: I have noticed the traffic markings on the concrete surfaces have eroded since the new sections of I-64 opened in December 2008. Will Gateway or MoDOT re-stripe the lanes? A particular nuisance is the McKnight Overpass. The Southbound Left Turn Lane, to East 64, traffic arrows have worn off the pavement. Drivers unfamiliar with the traffic movements use the left turn lane as a thru lane. This causes many close calls because the curb layout for the thru traffic forces thru traffic to the left, into drivers using the wrong lane. Also, the left turn signal has a full green, in addition to the arrow, for the left turn lane. This causes more confusion for drivers. Please advise of your plans to fix this area.

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: Much of the striping we put down last December (especially the westbound mainline) was temporary due to the cold temperatures at the time. Now that it's warming up we can come back and put down the permanent striping. Same story at McKnight where we still have to do final asphalt paving and final striping. Once we have nighttime temps in the 50s you'll see us out there again.

Dan

gregl: It looks like the new entrance and exit ramps at Kingshighway are in the process of being poured. When will they open up? The existing ramps (especially the Eastbound on-ramp) are a tight squeeze.

Also, the Hanley Road OxBlue cam has been down for about a day and a half.

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: Thanks for the heads up about the camera. As for the Kingshighway ramps, the first thing we had to do is knock down the old pedestrian bridge. Since the new mainline pavement is a bit higher than the old pavement we had a clearance issue there. We took care of that last weekend so the new ramps can be opened as soon as they are tied in with the mainline. We should have that completed by the end of the month.

Dan

buran: Hello, and a big thank-you to the crew who repainted the arrows on the McKnight bridge after my reports, and thanks to Linda for seeing it through. Very quick fix, and I'm pleased to note that there are fewer cars in the left lane (less people picking the wrong one?) and I haven't seen anyone go straight from the turn lane since the restriping. (As you seem to have guessed, I'm a local who drives that road almost every weekday). I'm still not quite sure why the regulations state that turn lane should have a plain green light and not just an arrow, but the painted arrows on the street seem to be doing the trick.

Two concerns this week to bring up: I repeatedly still see people swerving across the double white line from the I-170N ramp onto the Brentwood off-ramp, including a large truck towing a trailer; all of these incidents cause drivers to suddenly have to brake, which is dangerous considering that traffic here seems to largely move at 60mph instead of the advised 35. I'm not sure if a fix for that is as simple as McKnight seems to have been, but on this too I worry that someone will get hit when a lane-crosser gets T-boned or rear-ended; and --

Forest Park Parkway backs up daily at the Skinker intersection -- only on FPP and not on Skinker (not that many cars waiting at Skinker). The backup goes to or past Throop Dr. moving eastbound in the morning, and sometimes back to or past Debalivere in the evening. With this massive backup occurring when there's not that much cross traffic waiting at the light in question, it seems to me that the green light on the Parkway is too short. I work near Barnes, there's not really any other good route to work for me to take that doesn't force me onto this problem block so I haven't been able to avoid the area. I can't say at what other times it's backed up and in what direction, but I head east around 10am and west around 7pm. (I selected those hours so that I'd be moving after the rush hours, but it doesn't seem to be working.)

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: I drive the east to north flyover ramp every day myself and see the last minute merging to exit at Brentwood. I've had the engineers look at this and I don't know there is anything else we can do. The highway is signed for 40 mph for a reason. We want people to slow down and pay attention to the signs and realize the the east to north ramp is two narrow lanes. Most people are driving too fast and not paying attention and then realize at the last minute the Brentwood exit is from the left lane. This is a temporary condition while the highway is closed.

Regarding Forest Park Parkway, the City and County traffic engineers are working very closely to coordinate the timing of the signals, espcially from Skinker to Big Bend. The Skinker light is more complicated because there are also so many pedestrians in the area who cross it for the university. The timing is constantly being checked and adjusted but I'm not sure there is much more that can be done. Your hours are really good and you are avoid the peak hours of 8-9 a.m. and 5-6 p.m. Forest Park Parkway is the top road of discussion when MoDOT, the City and County meet twice a month to discuss how traffic is flowing. We are going to continue monitoring it for the rest of the year.

Linda Wilson