One of the biggest concerns about merging I-70 and Memorial Drive through downtown into one at grade boulevard is what would happen with the trucks? The answer is simple. Trucks would either be allowed on the new boulevard, which is the way it is now, or the road would prohibit through truck traffic.
Today, as I was driving on Memorial Drive, I was next to a full size, semi tractor-trailer rig. It really was no big deal. The truck did not slow traffic. It wasn't particularly loud, and it moved right through the area without any problem. I'm no trucking expert, but from years living about a half mile from a highway, I remember that you could hear the trucks going by at 60-70 miles per hour, but not the ones driving at 25-30 miles per hour through town.
Standing above the depressed lanes, or along the elevated lanes of I-70 next to Laclede's Landing, what you hear are those trucks zooming by at high speed. Moving truck traffic to a new Memorial Drive would possibly make the area quieter than it is now.
In terms of driving times and convenience, trucks should have no problem getting through the 1.5 mile stretch of a new boulevard the same way cars would. Maybe a 3 or 4 minute longer trip would be about it.
Trucks on a new Memorial Drive? Why not?
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5 comments:
The New 64 was designed to allow for larger truck traffic and for higher speeds. This obviously creates numerous problems for the region, do you thus believe the Arch grounds deserve better treatment than all the people who live along 64? Double standards should be our MO?
For starters, I don't think we should have a one size fits all approach to roads and circulation, so I don't see how the idea of a double standard fits this situation.
The point of this post is that trucks will still use this corridor. They may be diverted or limited to local deliveries only, but such a decision would only happen if there was MODOT and city approval. I'm certain its even more complicated than that.
Regarding truck traffic in general, and the new 64, some people suggested replacing the whole of I-64 through the heart of the region with an at grade boulevard.
Do you think that would have been better than the current interstate highway?
Again, STL Rising welcome anonymous comments, so thanks for contributing to the conversation.
64 also has those god-awful sound barriers to keep the noise level down for those folks along the corridor. Not sure that the Arch grounds would have it better than those along 64/40.
As a former St. Louisan and Mansion House resident, I can vouch that accelerating and delerating truck traffic on the depressed section is much loader than any other traffic on the highway or Memorial Drive.
^Oops, much louder. It's the heavier loaded traffic that is loudest.
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