MODOT Is Brilliant Strategist.
Never thought I’d say it but MODOT is brilliant, at least when it comes to strategy. The road building agency, faced with several years of complaints from motorists frustrated by navigating I-64 road construction, made a brilliant move: threaten to close the highway altogether.
Everyone from the average motorist to Congressman Clay is speaking out about the suggestion to close the interstate. This public outcry from all corners will “force” the agency to keep the highway open. During the construction process MODOT and the media will counter any complaints about detours and delays by saying, “Just imagine how bad it would have been if we had closed the highway.”
Brilliant strategy.
– Steve
duh
The again, it ain’t over until it’s over . . . One, there will undoubtedly have to be full closures at night and on weekends to demolish bridges and to place new girders, and two, upon further review, closing the highway does make some sense. This is a constricted right-of-way, especially between Brentwood and Hampton, so there may be some merit in taking the traffic off 40 at the Forest Park Parkway (it’s been “out of service” for years now), running all the way out to the inner belt, then looping back to 40 west of the Galleria. Between Brentwood and I-270 there’s more room to do detours, and the traffic should be contained in that corridor.
I know this sounds like a broken record, but back in Denver, TREX is wrapping up work on a very similar project. Only there, CDoT and RTD joined forces to rebuild the highway AND add light rail. Part of the design-build contract is that the existing number of traffic lanes must be maintained during the day and when major sporting events are scheduled, and the contractor can close down as many lanes as they need at night and on weekends. It seems to be working, and much like what’s being promised here, people would rather put up with the challenges in exchange for just getting it over and done with ASAP.
http://www.trexproject.com/