Incomprehensible Reconstruction
May 4th, 2006 by Vihar ShethPosted in Environment, Society
Highway 64, the most heavily traveled highway in the St. Louis area, is due for reconstruction. I’ve thought at some length about the right way to do it, knowing full well the people running the state of Missouri probably don’t have a clue. Granted I’ve never held office, but I’m wondering if we’ll ever see a day where a group of elected officials will get together and just do what’s right, no matter what certain groups want and with no thought of reelection. Man alive, that would be sweet.
The two issues related to this reconstruction I’ve thought most about - incorporating public transit and reconnecting downtown - have been discussed elsewhere so I won’t go into too much detail. But, a little long-range thinking would go a long way into making this entire region more successful.
I don’t want to hear lip service about cost and unions and this and that. If people have vision and will, anything can be accomplished. Repaving and widening a highway that’s really not crowded except for a few hours a day is just plain stupid. Public transit is worlds better at handling peak capacity. Incorporating public transit into the new highway design should be a priority. Less important logistically, but more so from a design and psychological point of view is reconnecting downtown. Rerouting or depressing the highway through downtown would do wonders for the urban environment in St. Louis. Steve Patterson, of Urban Review, discusses the public transit aspect here and the possible burial of the highway here. Enjoy.
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