Copy of the 3D model of the new St. Louis ballpark stadium showing how it will be built alongside the highway. (LAURIE SKRIVAN/P-D)

The Cardinals are still grappling with the millions associated with building a stadium just 50 feet away from Highway 40.

Not the private financing for their new stadium - a $402 million project. But the "million little details" that have to be addressed to ensure the team's new home provides optimal fan experience and safety for motorists, says John Loyd, who is overseeing the project.

Loyd is in familiar territory. He also oversaw the 1994 construction of Jacobs Field in Cleveland and PNC Park in Pittsburgh two years ago. Those projects also were built near highways, but not so close.

In St. Louis, the team is going to great lengths to measure light, sound and wind to assure that a day or night at the park is a pleasant experience, regardless of the outcome on the field. But the design also takes into consideration the safety of passing motorists.

While the new stadium will be designed with several expansive views of the city, fans on the upper concourse will not be able to look out over Highway 40 - just 50 feet away. That's 10 feet closer than the distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate. The team does not want rowdy fans to be tempted to test the accuracy of their throwing arms. So concession stands and restrooms will be built along the southern edge as a buffer between the highway and the upper deck.

To make sure that the highway noise does not drown out the sound of a cracking bat or fans yelling when favorites such as Albert Pujols come to the plate, consultants were hired to measure the sound of the highway against that of the ballpark.

An engineer in a cherry picker was hoisted beside the elevated highway to measure how much noise 125,000 vehicles a day make as they pass at 55 mph or faster. He later attended a game at Busch Stadium to gauge the sound level there, especially when big plays brought the crowd to its feet.

"We have a very supportive fan base, and they like to make noise," Loyd said.

The study revealed that only when action on the field is minimal would highway noise interfere with the sound of the game for those out on the concourses.

Builders plan to use spray-on soundproofing in the concourses, and the team is considering other sound absorbers.

More than 600 lights will illuminate the field during night games. But the bright lights won't blind motorists. All will be shrouded, directional lights carefully positioned to overlap and cover each area of the playing field to meet the specifications of Major League Baseball.

"The lights will be visible, especially from the east, but when you drive by, they won't be in your eyes," Loyd said.

With the new design - an open bowl with skyline views - the Cardinals realized that wind could be an issue. So consultants took a model of the new ballpark and put it in a wind tunnel. They used the velocity that would be comparable to the types of gusts that are expected at the site.

"Happily, our design doesn't have any problems," Loyd said. "We didn't want any discomfort areas."

Loyd ponders the details with the consultants, builders and designers in a large workroom inside Busch Stadium. From there, Loyd looks out a window onto the parking lot that will be the site of the new ballpark. The room is filled with 40 different sets of drawings, several of them taped to the wall, and lined with nine types of stadium chairs. All are dark green, but Loyd says a color scheme for the new park has not been decided.

The chairs vary from hard plastic with slatted seats to posh, high-backed leather chairs that could make their way into the planned 63 suites. Samples of tile, carpet and signs to be installed in various parts of the new ballpark take up one corner of the room. So do different shades and grades of brick. The Cardinals plan to use an orange-red brick, to reflect the architectural style of the city.

To make way for the new stadium, the Missouri Department of Transportation has agreed to tear down the Eighth Street ramp to eastbound 40, which currently sits in the plan's path.

But the state agency does not have to sign off on the design of the stadium. "The Cardinals have not shown us their plan, but there is no real reason to," said Linda Wilson, a spokeswoman for the transportation department. The state agency does not have highway easements at that location, she said.

Demolition of the ramp is expected to take about two weeks but should not interfere with early work on the stadium, which will begin with utility relocation under or near Broadway. A portion of the street will be closed, but for how long isn't known.

An earlier contract to demolish the ramp was canceled because of a delay in stadium financing. New bids will not be awarded until financing is secured, Wilson said. The Cardinals have sought bids on about 55 percent of the construction contracts, Loyd said.

The financing, team owners say, will be in place later this month, and Loyd wants to be ready to move dirt as soon as the money is in the bank.

"We want to be ready to go," he said.

Pulitzer Inc., which owns the Post-Dispatch, and Pulitzer's chairman, Michael E. Pulitzer, are part-owners of the Cardinals. Their combined stake is slightly less than 4 percent.


Reporter Doug Moore:
E-mail: dmoore@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-622-3580