Sunday, August 29, 2010

Reconfigure I-64 in downtown St Louis

The strongest proposition of McEagle's NorthSide project is not in north St Louis, but in downtown. McEagle wants to reconfigure the existing access ramps of I-64 to free up nearly 30 acres for development:


The proposed reconfiguration would be the only place in downtown where you can enter and exit I-64 on the same street. It restores Clark Ave and portions of Walnut and Chestnut streets. The current configuration also acts as the unofficial terminus of downtown and barrier between downtown and midtown. The reconfiguration would allow the mall to continue two more blocks and connect downtown with midtown.

The area around 22nd St is not the only place downtown where access ramps cut into streets and city blocks. 22nd street's ramps are by far the worst in the city, but 10th and 6th streets are runners up. They have similar ramps that could be reconfigured to free up even more valuable land near Busch Stadium.

Here is what the ramps currently look like on 10th and Clark Ave:


Why not take advantage of the one-way streets and free up some land a block from the stadium:


 Here are the ramps for 6th street:


These ramps are unnecessarily long. If shortened, Cerre St and 6th St could be restored:

The current configuration of I-64 is like a sea monster with tentacles that strangle the life out of every block they cross over. Taming this monster will free up valuable parcels of land that will generate new revenue for the city.

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