22nd Street Interchange Should Be Completely Eliminated
Over the last year or so the ramps on & off I-64 (Hwy 40) at 22nd have been closed as MoDOT makes repairs to infrastructure. Paul McKee’s plans for this area called for a nice boulevard and new on/off ramps at the highway. I don’t think the ramps are needed at all. See aerial.
I use 22nd to get on and off the highway but taking Jefferson Ave is no big deal, I’ve had to do so often over the last 12-18 months when the ramps have been closed.
The Jefferson Ave overpass and exits should be rebuilt. Right now on/off ramps only serve the interstate west of Jefferson. I’d add ramps to serve the interstate east of Jefferson and create a single point intersection. Rather than maintaining this little used, little needed infrastructure the land could be developed.
Such a development could make Union Station part of a new neighborhood of offices and apartments.
– Steve Patterson
While I agree that the land that the existing interchange currently occupies could be redeveloped and could possibly offer a boost to the failing Union Station, I have long used this interchange, if for no other reason than to avoid driving on Jefferson Ave., which I have found often to be congested and potentially dangerous, waiting at stoplights in late evening.
Jefferson needs better signals and other improvements. That work plus the new single point interchange to handle east/west interstate traffic would happen first.
Ahh, but if the interchange wasn’t there and people were required to use Jefferson Avenue, the “fear factor” would be reduced significantly as more cars travel the stretch. It’s not the Jefferson Ave. area you fear, it’s the desolation.
Actually, we can handle the desolation better than some of the seedy characters who loiter around stoplights and certain building corners. Usually, we are relieved to finally enter 1-64, even if it is backed up due to traffic.
Nevermind – for some reason I was thinking Truman Pkwy. Also could be a potential future 64 connection instead of 22nd Street…
Your “aerial” link takes me to some address in San Francisco. I had to replace “Market” with “Market Street” to get to the right place.
Just tested it and it worked fine for me.
Same here — 22nd & Irving Market. 2101 Irving Street. San Francisco, CA 94122.
Okay, I just updated the link.
I work in IL there are very few eastbound 40 entrances. There is no entance to 40 East at jefferson. We need another eastbound entrance to 40.
Make a new 4-way at Jefferson; UPS would have to give up a piece of their corner, but in exchange they would get some more land in back and A 4-WAY INTERCHANGE AT THEIR FRONT DOOR. Then ditch the 22nd street ramps altogether and re-establish the street grid. That, and replacing the elevated/depressed section of I-70 with a boulevard and express tunnel would do so much for improving downtown you can’t even imagine.
Yes, well none of this is going to happen anytime soon. MoDot has a serious shortage of funds and I don’t see this as a priority. But I do like the garden at the exit (not mentioned). It is an excellent use of urban farming and utlitizing/rehabilitating the homeless people.
It could happen, the development of this land could raise the some of the money needed — see Charlotte NC: http://ww.charmeck.org/Planning/Land%20Use%20Planning/I-277_LandDevelopment_Framework.pdf
There is plenty of undeveloped land in the area without spending needless money. You continue to overstate land value and demand for development in the city.
Narrowing Washington Ave sparked demand for the warehouse that had been vacant for years. Planning a large area like this would spur interest.
I don’t know Steve….it all sounds good but there is a far distance between plan and implemtation. And without tax credits and other incentives that are becoming more and more in short supply where are the investors/builders/owners going to come from and how will they make the numbers work? And buying all the remaining land around it, getting the state to invest in new ramps and taking up the old? For what? MoDot knows who butters their bread and as much as they have put into our region over the past few years, it isn’t the urban areas anymore….they now have to start pleasing the farmers and rural areas with what little funds they have.
Implementation comes after planning. Without planning it’ll never happen. Now is the time to start working on figuring out the streets and urban form we’d like to see built over the next 20-25 years.
Yes, and this a good opportunity for them to get rid of excess freeway, infrastructure in an urban setting. Have to admit its a very small part of their system. None the less, its something they want no part of anymore.
My understanding is that the MoDOT and the City already have a shared agreement in place to replace the existing interchange and revert property back. Cost is shared basis, 50-50. I also understand that most of MoDOT’s share is in escrow or set aside by the state transportation committee. The issue being the city finding the rest of the funds. Personally, I think this is the best part of McKee’s northside plan and don’t understand why he doesn’t separate it from the rest as he did with part of north downtown to the get the ball rolling.
As far as meaningful infrastructure projects, I think this rates as doable and just as important as the N. Tucker rebuild. You fundametally change downtown and improve ingress/egress as well as provide developable land in my mind if you take the N. Tucker rebuild, replace the raised secion of I-70 with an at grade blvd and replace the 22nd interchange without a huge outlay as would expect with a major freeway rebuild/relocation.