Get ready for another highway party.

We just don't know the date. Just like last year, the Missouri Department of Transportation will wait to announce Highway 40's reopening two to three weeks before it happens, as well as the day to play on the highway.

They've been thinking about the celebration since the last one back in December. And since July, transportation officials have been working with organizations such as the St. Louis Track Club and the St. Louis Science Center on the big day.

"Everybody realized we need to do this again," said Linda Wilson, MoDOT spokeswoman. "There are things we learned from last year's event that will make this year better. We generally have our game plan in place."

Like last year's highway party, this one will be on a Sunday. The St. Louis Track Club plans to hold a run — a 5K — starting at 8 a.m.

However, there will be no bicycle race. Last year, a cyclist struck and injured a pedestrian during one of the organized bicycle events. Cyclists will be allowed on the highway, however. There will be cycling time trials in the morning.

That afternoon, one side will be open to pedalers and the other to pedestrians. Kids on bikes will be allowed on the pedestrian side if their parents are on foot, Wilson said.

Last December, thousands turned out with bicycles, running shoes and canine companions to play on the five miles of Highway 40 (Interstate 64) between Ballas Road and Interstate 170 before it reopened to cars.

About 2,000 turned out for the 5K race alone.

"We had to turn people away because of parking," said Rick Lux, board member of the St. Louis Track Club. "We don't think we're going to have that problem this year. We think there's enough parking possibilities at this end of the project."

MoDOT is trying to figure out what school band will be there. Officials are working with Operation Food Search to set up a food drive at every intersection between I-170 and Kingshighway. They're also talking with other institutions in Forest Park about participating.

After two years of closures, the party this year is expected to be bigger. "I'm anticipating we could have significantly more this year," Wilson said. "Unless it's a blizzard."

Q. Coming home from a trip to Nauvoo, Ill., last weekend, I noticed small blue signs on top of all the U.S. 61 road signs. They read, "Avenue of the Saints," and were atop all the U.S. 61 signs from where we crossed into Missouri from U.S. 136 and continued until we exited at Interstate 70. What do the signs mean, and how far do they extend north and south?

— Carolyn Daniels

A. The 550-mile, four-lane highway stretches from St. Louis to St. Paul, Minn. The final nine-mile stretch of highway was completed in Clark County in July 2008. In Missouri, the Avenue of the Saints stretches from St. Louis to the Iowa border.

Q. I noticed that the innermost sound walls erected on both directions of Highway 40 (Interstate 64) between Ballas and McKnight can obstruct a driver's view of the road. This occurs where the road curves to the right, and is worst when driving in the right lane. I am very concerned that someone traveling at 60 mph could be surprised by stopped traffic or some other lane blockage and not have adequate time to stop. To me, it looks like a bad accident waiting to happen. I don't think these walls should have been installed so close to the road. Has anyone considered installing convex mirrors on the sound walls to improve visibility?

— Kathleen Butler, St. Louis

A. No, and don't expect the state to install mirrors along the highway. The sound walls meet federal standards for sight distances when motorists are driving at 60 mph, said Linda Wilson of MoDOT. But some motorists have fumed that it does feel as though the walls are closing in on some stretches because of the size and proximity of the sound walls to the highway.

Q. We noticed a while ago when passing a dump truck that it had a placard on the back that said something like "not responsible for broken windshields." Can such a sign absolve a person of responsibility for poorly secured loads, or bringing gravel in mud onto a road and causing damage to other people's property?

— Charles Schmidt, St. Charles

A. Signs such as those are meaningless in cases stemming from operator negligence, said Mike Right of AAA Missouri. Replacement of windshields can be a big-ticket item because people tend to carry higher deductibles on their collision coverage to try to save money, Right said. So pinning that errant rock on a hauler can save you a lot of money out of pocket. Trouble is, these cases can be tough to prove, Right said, especially when it is the motorist's word against that of the hauler.