Why Does MoDOT Keep Closing I-64 in Downtown St. Louis?
For weeks (months?) now I’ve been hearing on the news about MoDOT closing I-64 (hwy 40) for repair work.
I went to MoDOT’s St. Louis website and found this under “planning/future projects”:
The I-64 double deck approach to the Poplar Street Bridge extends from 21st Street to the bridge. This structure is in a double deck configuration from approximately 14th Street to Broadway. The bridge was opened to traffic in November 1967 and is over 43 years old. The double deck needs to be rehabilitated to ensure a longer lifespan. The expansion joints in between the bridge decks also need to be replaced because they are in poor condition due to age. (MoDOT)
But this future work sounds like what’s being done currently.
Under “current work” I found this:
11th Street Exit Ramp on Eastbound Interstate 64
*Updated on June 13, 2011
Below is a schedule for the 11th Street exit ramp on eastbound I-64:
- The ramp will continue to close from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on each weekday (Monday – Friday). It will open every weekday for morning and evening rush-hour times.
- As of now, this will continue throughout 2011. If there are any changes to this schedule, MoDOT will immediately inform motorists.
- The construction that is being done at the 11th Street exit ramp right now is on I-64 between 21st Street and the Poplar Street Bridge. Crews are performing earthquake seismic retrofit work to maintain the I-64 double deck bridge since it has deteriorated significantly.
- Work on and under the 11th Street ramp is just a portion of this overall project. Over the last ten years, various work has been completed in an effort to earthquake strengthen and to keep I-64 in service for the future.
- Various evening and weekend closures on I-64 will continue throughout 2011. MoDOT will keep motorists informed of new updates and lane closures expected to take place in the near future.
This current project was last updated in June of last year? Nice to see MoDOT working hard to keep the public informed.
– Steve Patterson
Steve,
As a motorist exiting I-64 at 14th Street, I’ve noticed weathering of the concrete that supports the double deck. If you are driving near there, swing by and take a look to the left from the exit ramp at 14th and notice the cracks in the concrete, with what appears to be rust coming from the cracks. I’m sure Larry, Curly and MoDot will say it is normal surface cracking…but it is cracking of the recently installed retrofit…not the 43 year old original structure.
Steve,
As a motorist exiting I-64 at 14th Street, I’ve noticed weathering of the concrete that supports the double deck. If you are driving near there, swing by and take a look to the left from the exit ramp at 14th and notice the cracks in the concrete, with what appears to be rust coming from the cracks. I’m sure Larry, Curly and MoDot will say it is normal surface cracking…but it is cracking of the recently installed retrofit…not the 43 year old original structure.
It is amazing to me that MoDOT has not made plans to take this double-decker configuration down entirely. Â Besides the maintenance and aesthetic nuisances, this is a similar configuration to the expressway that pancaked in San Francisco just a generation ago. Â With the ongoing hazard of a major quake along the New Madrid faultline, this would appear to be a less than desirable structure to maintain and rehabilitate.
It is amazing to me that MoDOT has not made plans to take this double-decker configuration down entirely. Besides the maintenance and aesthetic nuisances, this is a similar configuration to the expressway that pancaked in San Francisco just a generation ago. With the ongoing hazard of a major quake along the New Madrid faultline, this would appear to be a less than desirable structure to maintain and rehabilitate.
What would you put in its place? A “normal” freeway or even a boulevard would be twice as wide.
Eric, that is a great question. The freeway carries a large amount of traffic into and through downtown. What other options are there if it were closed for a long period because the structure collapsed or became unsafe? The through traffic has other freeway options under that circumstance, so really we are looking at needing to accommodate the traffic headed into and out of downtown. My thought is that a surface boulevard, perhaps combined with a dedicated public transit line, would provide adequate capacity.
Define “adequate capacity”. Traffic is like water, it finds the path of least resistance. If I-64 were to go away (be replaced by a boulevard), that traffic would most likely end up on I-70 (on the north side) or I-44 (on the south side). It could also end up increasing traffic on Market, Olive and Washington. It’s also a classic NIMBY/Law of Unintended Consequences issue. The traffic wouldn’t just magically disappear, it would just shift to another corridor, likely overburdening that or those corridor(s) and irritating those residents and businesses.
The fallacy with your collapse argument is that if we had a big earthquake here, EVERY major road would likely be impacted by failures in bridge structures. The city and county essentially sit on a peninsula, defined by the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, and crossed infrequently by major bridges. We also have multiple bridges and viaducts over railroads and more minor drainage ways like the River Des Peres and the Meramec. MoDOT is well aware of how critical it is to mainatin all of these connections; the work on I-64 is only the most visible.
Quite a reach with this post. This IS what MoDOT has been doing for most of 2011. What needs to be updated.? “February, 2012….still working.”
Quite a reach with this post. This IS what MoDOT has been doing for most of 2011. What needs to be updated.? “February, 2012….still working.”
They’ve also been gradually painting the steel i-beams brown for the last 6 years. Red would have looked better! Â
They’ve also been gradually painting the steel i-beams brown for the last 6 years. Red would have looked better!
 What would you put in its place? A “normal” freeway or even a boulevard would be twice as wide.
Eric, that is a great question. The freeway carries a large amount of traffic into and through downtown. What other options are there if it were closed for a long period because the structure collapsed or became unsafe? The through traffic has other freeway options under that circumstance, so really we are looking at needing to accommodate the traffic headed into and out of downtown. My thought is that a surface boulevard, perhaps combined with a dedicated public transit line, would provide adequate capacity.
Define “adequate capacity”. Traffic is like water, it finds the path of least resistance. If I-64 were to go away (be replaced by a boulevard), that traffic would most likely end up on I-70 (on the north side) or I-44 (on the south side). It could also end up increasing traffic on Market, Olive and Washington. It’s also a classic NIMBY/Law of Unintended Consequences issue. The traffic wouldn’t just magically disappear, it would just shift to another corridor, likely overburdening that or those corridor(s) and irritating those residents and businesses.
The fallacy with your collapse argument is that if we had a big earthquake here, EVERY major road would likely be impacted by failures in bridge structures. The city and county essentially sit on a peninsula, defined by the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, and crossed infrequently by major bridges. We also have multiple bridges and viaducts over railroads and more minor drainage ways like the River Des Peres and the Meramec. MoDOT is well aware of how critical it is to mainatin all of these connections; the work on I-64 is only the most visible.
I don’t know…I kind of like the brown over the green.
I don’t know…I kind of like the brown over the green.