Bob: What's going on with the landscaping on the completed western half of the Highway 40 project? As I drive west, many of the new trees on the north side between the guardrail and sound walls, appear to be dead or dying. It's the same thing in the area between the sound walls and the Ballas Road exits. I would have hoped something would have been used that would not require a lot of maintenance and could live for longer than the few months they've been there.

Linda Wilson: The landscaping has a one-year warranty and in some cases that warranty hasn't started yet. MoDOT is monitoring the plant materials. We did select types that are hardy and grow well in Missouri with little maintenance. Dead trees will be replaced.



AD: I have a question about the ramps for the Big Bend exit. Previously there was no way to go westbound on 40 from Big Bend, and there was no exit to Big Bend if you were headed east. Will this be changed in the completed project?

Dan Galvin: Yes, you will be able to go all four directions at Big Bend when we're done.

Greg: How far ahead of schedule is the project right now? When is your expected completion date? And no, the standard line of "we are on track to be completed by December 31, 2009" does not cut it anymore for me. Be bold and give us your honest opinion!!!

Linda Wilson: Tell us how many days it's going to rain in the next three months and we can tell you when we will open. We are just as anxious as everyone else to have a date to announce, but it is truly too soon to say. We still have lots of work including pavement, shoulders, walls, barriers, striping, etc., all of which is very weather dependent. We are not trying to hide anything. We just don't know the exact date other than we know it will be done by Dec. 31.



oscarsmom: Can you tell us why the new barriers in the middle are about a foot higher than they used to be? To cut down on gaper blocks when there is an accident going the other way; most cars won't allow the driver to see over them?

Linda Wilson: The barrier wall in the middle is taller than it used to be. It does cut down on the lookers and also helps with the headlight glare. Sometimes the walls are extra tall because one direction of the highway is lower than the other. Those are necessary more for the geometry of the road than for trying to make it so you cannot see over the wall at all.