Mark: Just west of I-270 on eastbound I-64, a sign reads "Interstate Reconstruction Summer 2010." Can you please tell me what that will entail?

Thank you.

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: That refers to the work we're doing now. Though we have to have the mainline open to traffic by the end of 2009, the official contract completion date is July 31, 2010. By that time we have to have everything finished. The final striping, the landscaping and anything else that didn't get finished by the time we opened the road will have to be done by then at the latest.

Dan

McCausland User: I am wondering when McCausland will reopen to 4 lanes in each direction. It looks like it is ready to go. Will this be an Birthday present to me since my Birthday is next Wed. the 14th.

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: By the end of next week, all of McCausland should be open to two lanes in each direction. The crews are working on the final touches and hope to have the southbound lanes of McCausland back to two lanes maybe as early as this Friday, weather depending. Then the northbound lanes of McCausland would be back to two lanes by the end of next week. So, Happy Birthday.

Linda Wilson

Derric: HI,when will they start turning the lights on the new part of 40?

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: Not sure which lights you are referring to. We do not have continuous highway lighting on I-64. It is MoDOT's statewide policy not to have continuous lighting. The only place you will find continuous lighting is in the City of St. Louis. MoDOT lights the ramps and the intersections where you need extra lighting to make decisions. I'm not aware of any places on the west half of the project that are not light. On the east half that is still closed, there are still a lot of places the lights aren't turn on yet. In many cases, the lights aren't even installed yet. These will be on when we open the highway at the end of the year.

Linda Wilson

PTS: When is the Papin Street entrance to eastbound I-64/US 40 going to re-open? When construction began, the re-opening was set for September. It appears now that it will be 30 days or more overdue. Are there any penalties in the construction contract for this delinquency, and if not, how does MoDOT plan on ensuring that there will be a firm re-opening date?

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: The work on I-64 east of Kingshighway was under contract to be complete sometime in November. The contractor is actually ahead of schedule. The striping for the lanes of I-64 will be finished next week and all the lanes and the Papin Street ramp will reopen at the end of next week. When the contractor originally closed the Papin Street ramp, there intention was to have it closed for a shorter time, although by contract they could keep it closed. Once the road repairs were underway, the work was more extensive than originally thought and it worked better to keep it closed. Again, this was not against their contract and they are finishing it about a month ahead of their contractual schedule.

Linda Wilson

Ryan: I know we've talked quite a bit about the striping product (tape?) you guys are using. It works pretty well most of the time, but when the road is wet during the day, it's almost impossible to see the stripes on the new part of 64. I don't know if there's anything you all can do about it, but, at least for me, that's the only condition in which the new stripes are a problem.

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: Road striping is an area that MoDOT and all state DOTs continue to study and test for better solutions. The 3M tape product we are using on I-64 and across Missouri is the best product at the moment. Nothing is perfect in the worst conditions, which is why you hear us and the police continuously reminding people to slow down and drive for the weather conditions. We will continue to follow the national research for products that provide good reflectivity for a long life at a good cost.

Linda Wilson