scott: This is more of a question about the next phase than this one. Firstly, I would like to congradulate you as I think this phase went much better than expected. In the next phase Hwy 40/64 is to be shut down from 170 to Kingshighway, and being a student at St. Louis College of Pharmacy and living in St. Charles County I'm worried about getting to School. What will be done to ease congestion on Forrest Park Parkway as I belive this will become my route to school. Are there other Routes that you may suggest?

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: Forest Park Parkway is under the control of St. Louis County and City. Both agencies are working to make signal improvements to the Parkway. MoDOT, the county and city all expect the Parkway to be an alternate of choice when the east half of I-64 is closed. Coming from St. Charles County, you may want to consider getting on MetroLink at the Hanley station and getting off at the station at BJC. I believe the College of Pharmacy is in the BJC complex. The city is also working on signal timing on Kingshighway so you could also consider I-70 to Kingshighway.

Linda Wilson

bowman1429: The Exit from 270 Northbound onto Hwy 40 has been backing up all the way to Manchester Rd on a regular basis. There is a dangerous accordian effect from drivers diving in at the last minute to make the exit. Drivers also seem to be overly cautious upon entering the actual exit. I've wondered if they are over reacting to the 35 MPH exit sign. This exit seems capable of handling higher speeds safely. Are there any plans to make changes to help trafic along? I've already been rear ended once at this exit and sure hope something can be done to reduce the daily risk.

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: We are aware of the backups on this ramp. There really isn't anything we can do from an engineering point of view. We do notice that motorists have compressed the rush hour back to just one hour instead of spreading out work times. There is a peak hour in the morning that this is an issue. Perhaps adjusting your work schedule slightly if possible could help you avoid the peak time. We cannot make this ramp two lanes because we have such problems with the southbound to westbound ramp which has a similiar backup problem. We are just a few months away from reopening the west half of I-64, so that will change the dynamics of traffic here too.

Linda Wilson

Joan McKenna: Dear MODOT:

I was wondering why you increasingly choose to close down highways for maintenance rather than restricting traffic? Certainly, no explanation is needed for closing Highway 40 last weekend to bring down the Hampton overpass. But, closing Highway 40 at the Boone Bridge for a safety inspection seemed like overkill and created at least one hazardous situation: 55

On Saturday evening, a St. Louis County woman in her 80s was trying to get to the horse park in Lake St. Louis (Highway N near Highway 40) for the a major horse show that she helps with every year. She's knows how to get to the show and her daughter's residence nearby but otherwise is unfamiliar with St. Charles County. Unaware that MODOT had re-opened the Boone Bridge around 5 p.m., she tried to get to the show using the Page Avenue extension. At Highway 94, she got lost. She stopped to ask a man for directions, and he drew her a map. She called her daughter, and reported where she was. Several minutes passed, and she called again to say she was in front of Francis Howell High School at Highways 94 and D and didn't know where to go. Then maybe an hour passed with no contact. It had gotten dark, and everyone was worried. She eventually did pull into the horse park and explained that she had found a couple in a shopping mall and asked them if she could pay them to let her follow them to the horse park. By this time, she had misplaced her phone in the dark. The couple declined the money and helped her. Thankfully, both times she sought help, she found kind human beings who were not interested in harming an easy target. She was shaken, to say the least. This show is usually one of the highlights of her year and is not supposed to be something that could have cost her her life.

St. Charles County is not the middle of nowhere. The bridge handles a lot of traffic on weekends, and it's a huge inconvenience and expense these days to go around. And not just an expense for drivers. I'm sure your Boone Bridge closures this year have cost Chesterfield Commons and Chesterfield Mall a lot of money, as they cut off all the St. Charles County customers.

Of course, the bigger question is why you had to close the five-mile stretch of Highway 40 for a year. Since you plan to use workers on nights and weekends to finish on time, then it's clear you could have done that from the beginning and completed it in at least half the time.

If it was a question of money, I think I speak for more than a few Missouri residents who gladly would have ponied up a few extra tax dollars to make this project end in half the time.

I know you are trying to keep your road crews safe, and we all want that. But a woman trying to go to a weekend event was put in danger herself. The lives of your construction workers are worth no less than motorists, but, they also are worth no more.

Sincerely,

Joan McKenna
St. Charles County

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: I apologize for the inconvenience the Boone Bridge closure caused your family this weekend and I'm sure the older woman was very scared for her situation. The inspection of the Boone Bridge is critically necessary and due to the extensive inspections required now since the collapse of the Minneapolis bridge, we have to close the bridge to do it. The westbound Boone Bridge was built in 1935 and is only 30 feet wide. It is very difficult to keep a lane open. So our choice is close it on a week day or a weekend. Neither option is a good one. But we also have to ensure the bridge is safe and make needed repairs so we don't have to close it permanently. The closure did end Saturday night and MoDOT immediately notified all of the news media. MoDOT also have a 24/7 customer service center. Any time in the future, you need an update on what is open or closed, you can call us at 1-888-ASK-MODOT. We are sorry for the inconvenience but we must ensure the safety of the 80,000 motorists who use the Boone bridge every day. There is never a good time for us to do our work and we just work extremely quickly to have the impact only one day.

Linda Wilson

Laura: While the new Kingshighway overpass over 40 was being constructed the Kingshighway northbound right lane over the Kingshighway bridge became a right-turn-only lane onto Manchester. This freed up traffic on the bridge immeasurably. Now that the overpass is done, it's no longer a right turn only, which blocks the flow of cars onto Manchester on a red light when only one car in that lane wants to continue north, especially congesting during morning rush hour. I can see this becoming even worse when the east side of 40 is closed. What can be done to make a dedicated right-turn-only onto Manchester permanent?

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: MoDOT and the City of St. Louis traffic engineers are working together on this intersection. We did have a dedicated right while the Kingshighway over I-64 work was going on. During construction of Kingshighway at I-64, we only had two lanes going north over I-64 so it made a lot of sense to have the dedicated right turn at Manchester. The lanes were changed back when Kingshighway was opened up with three lanes. Since Hampton and I-64 closed, the volumes on northbound Kingshighway are up 25 percent. We do not want to take away one of the through lanes right now with these increased volumes. We will continue to look at this and especially after I-64 is complete determine what is the best thing to do at that time.

Linda Wilson

jz: Will the stoplight at Hampton and Oakland be replaced after Hampton since the interchange will be configured differently? Also, I know that the ramp from McCausland to WB 64 has a ramp-meter signal that will be removed. Is it even used anymore, and why was it put in? Also, when will the south to west ramp at 170 be paved?

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: When the Hampton and I-64 interchange is complete, we will have a new signal at Hampton and Oakland and it will be configured a little differently. We will still need a signal there for the Oakland and Hampton traffic. The ramp meter at McCausland was put in more than a decade ago as a test for ramp meters. Many large cities have gone to ramp metering all their entrance ramps. MoDOT was examing the possibility. The ramp meter is not currently working and very soon we will have this ramp closed and the McCausland interchange will be rebuilt differently with the new highway. I don't have an exact date for the paving of the south to west ramp at I-170, but it will be sometime in the next month.

Linda Wilson

Jason B: I know this is a minor detail, but on the new Kingshighway overpass, why are the traffic signals mounted on 2 long poles that are only about 1 foot apart in the middle instead of just using one pole that spans the entire bridge (like what was done on the new Dougherty Ferry bridge at I-270? It seems like a single pole with posts at both ends would be much more sturdy and robust than two poles that each only have one post, especially when they are so close together.

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: You can do the signals either way and meet standards. Gateway's designers just chose to do it with two poles on this interchange.

Linda Wilson

Laura: The Clayton Road sidewalks under the Kingshighway overpass in SE Forest Park are a mess of broken concrete, uneven asphalt patch, mud, and dangerous chunks, nearly impassible after a strong rain. When will those sidewalks be reinstalled?

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: Gateway is aware of the sidewalk on Clayton Avenue under Kingshighway that needs to be repaired. They will be redoing the sidewalk, but I do not have an exact date at this time. They are working on finishing the sidewalks on Kingshighway right now and then they will work on the Clayton Avenue sidewalk.

Linda Wilson

Bob G.: Will you have Brentwood and the west half of Eager finished by the time you finish the west half? Meaning, will you have these arterial roads in their final condition when the west half opens (i.e. Brentwood will be 10 lanes under the 40 bridge even though some turn lanes won't be used because the CD road they lead to won't exist yet).

Also, I remember hearing or reading somewhere that you guys wanted to finish the west half by Halloween, but the rain threw that plan out the window. Will that be a goal for the east half? Are you guys going to press really hard to finish the next half early since the construction will be finished at that point? Weather permitting of course.

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: The goal is to have Brentwood and any work at the Eager and I-170 intersection complete when we open the east half of the highway. You are right that not all the lanes on Brentwood will be open or needed because of the east half closure and the fact that all the ramps aren't closed.

Our deadline for the west half has always been December 31, 2008. If we wouldn't have had the wettest year on record, there was a chance to be done sooner. We are working hard toward the end of the year deadline and should have an announcement soon on that progress and timing of the reopening of the west half and the closing of the east half. The deadline for the completion of the east half is December 31, 2009.

Linda Wilson

Tony: When the Western part of the I-64 project is complete, does that mean that all those big trucks that travel Eager in Brentwood Forest to that lot where apartments used to be end or at least be reduced? If so, are there any plans to repair that stretch of road. Those big trucks have really done some damage to that stretch of Eager. Thank you

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: We'll have a look at it. If there is damage that came from us we'll take care of it.

Dan

monanica: I have a couple questions:

When Phase 2 starts, how are Dogtown drivers supposed to get to West Port? Will the first entrance onto 40 be at Brentwood and the first entrance onto 170 be at the Parkway?

Second, will the Skinker/McCausland/Clayton intersections be worked on, more specifically, the lights, since right now the lights on Skinker to East Clayton and to Oakland are not in the center, as well as the "Left turn on Light" signs are not very visible and soemtimes ignored. (As I have witnessed)

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: The first entrance onto westbound 40 will be at Brentwood. you will also be able to access I-170 northbound from Eager. another option would be to take Skinker to Forest Park Parkway to I-170.

MoDOT and the city's traffic engineers are working on the signals at the Skinker/McCausland/Clayton intersection. since we will be closing the ramp to 40, not all of the signalized movements will be needed. That will help the cycle of the lights at that intersection. So the engineers are taking into account what will be open and closed and how to adjust the lights to help things flow as best as possible.

Linda Wilson

Herbie: Over the last few months, some shrubbery and even a six-foot tall tree have grown in the median of Hwy40 between Hanley and Oakland. Are there any plans to remove the "greenery" prior to the closure of the highway in 3 months?

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: I haven't noticed anything like that. But obviously if weeds become a problem or safety hazard we'll take care of them.

Dan

Kurtis Jr: Hello Dan & Linda, and thanks for your continued participating in these online forums.

Two questions:
1) Will someone from St. Louis city traffic/streets be joining you next year? I can see several advantages to having someone from that entity present during the closure of the City portions of I-64.
2) When will the work on 170 at Forest Park Parkway commence? This is in regards to the lengthening of the merge ramps that you mentioned a few weeks ago.

Thanks!

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: 1) That sounds like a good idea to me. We'll ask them about it.
2) That work on I-170 at Forest Park Parkway began Monday night and will continue for the next couple of weeks.

Dan

St. Louis City and County engineers have been meeting with MoDOT every two weeks to review traffic flow around the region since January 2008. We plan on continuing that through the end of 2009. For the first couple of weeks that the east half is closed, MoDOT St Louis City and County engineers will work together at a closure command center at I-44 and Hampton to monitor to the traffic and make changes together every day. We have been so pleased with the teamwork approach that we have with our partners from the City and County and will continue that.

Linda Wilson

Tony Marcus: Here's our exchange from this week, followed by my re-stating the question:

Tony Marcus: MoDOT is getting ready for the next phase of the project by putting new signs on westbound Forest Park Parkway. But they must be low on "To" signs in the shop, since only the one in Clayton says "To I-170." As it is now, out-of towners and other Hoosiers could believe they are on part of I-170 and go expressway speeds, only to come upon police radar (bad) or traffic stopped at a light (much worse). Wouldn't it be better to get this signage right?

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: Forest Park Parkway is a County Road. Any signs there except right at the ramps to I-170 would be County signs. I would be happy to pass this on to the County, but I'm not sure I understand the problem. Where on westbound Forest Park Parkway do you think there needs to be more signs directing motorists to I-170? There are speed limit signs on Forest Park Parkway that motorists should obey. Please further explain the problem and I will be happy to share with the County Highway department and see what they can do.

Linda Wilson

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The signs the County put up on Forest Park Parkway are simply a I-170 shield and a "straight" arrow.

By not including the "To" sign above the shield, the signs simply say I-170, straight ahead, as if you are already on I-170. That's misleading and likely a violation of some signage standard manual at AASHTO or MoDOT.

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: I have forwarded your concern to St. Louis County Highway department. If I get an update from them, I will go back and update the answers on the Oct 1 chatroom later this week. I do not have an answer yet and our chatroom ends at 3 p.m. today.

Linda Wilson

Kurtis Jr: Hi, I have another question for you all. Is there any planned work for 2010? If so, when will that work be completed?

Thanks!

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: The contract has a final completion date of July 31, 2010. But, there is also a deadline of December 31, 2009, the contractor must have all lanes of the interstate back open. There is a possibility that in 2010, there may be some work still left including soundwalls, landscaping, side street. The contractor certainly wants to have everything or as much as possible finished by the end of 2009. It is too soon to know what will still be left to do in 2010.

Linda Wilson

DH: What is the big mound dirt for at the 170/64 interchange?

Dan Galvin and Linda Wilson: There are several mounds of dirt around I-170 and I-64 so it is difficult to know exactly which one you may be referring to. However, all of them are excavated dirt from one part of the project that will be moved to another part of the project. Remember we are not quite half finished yet. Much of this dirt will be used in other areas of the project. Anything left over will have to have a final spot to be placed and graded and seeded.

Linda Wilson