So Long, Ol' Pedestrian Bridge
From the March 26 2007 "New I-64" email update:
On April 11, the pedestrian bridge over I-170 between McMorrow Avenue and Francis Avenue will be removed. All lanes of I-170 between Galleria Parkway and I-64 will be closed from 10 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. for the bridge removal. Motorists will be advised to use Brentwood Boulevard as a detour overnight.
Both the closure of the Galleria Parkway ramps and the removal of the pedestrian bridge are permanent and will not be rebuilt with the project. The new flyover ramps for the interchange will connect with I-170 at nearly the same location as the current ramps and pedestrian bridge. There is no way to safely allow those traffic movements in the same place. Pedestrian access is provided on Galleria Parkway under I-170.
I suppose eliminating the ramps (April 4th the on-ramp from Galleria Pkwy to SB I-170 closed; the off-ramp from NB-170 to Galleria Pkwy will close in May), is inevitable given the close proximity of those ramps to the new I-64 ramps. Similarly, I can understand the much larger interchange means the overpass cannot be retained. Nevertheless, I'll miss that convenient shortcut from the MetroLink station to the Burger King on Brentwood.
Then again, the Shell and the Burger King are probably slated for replacement with a "Lifestyle Center" anyway.
Funny... I've walked through The Boulevard a few times, but I guess those stores and restaurants just don't fit into my particular "lifestyle." ;-)
During this construction period, it seems likely that it will be pretty difficult to get from the MetroLink station to the Saint Louis Galleria itself, safely. Sure, the closure of the ramps will reduce traffic flows, but what about all the construction going on overhead for the new ramps?
Not a pretty picture. But I guess if you wanted to access the Galleria, you could always hop off at Brentwood I-64, then ride the #02 WUSTL-Red around the corner.
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The preliminary plans (PDF's) for the Brentwood/170 area shared on the New I-64 website seem to show an improved sidewalk at least on the north side of Galleria Parkway. With the removal of ramps from the south side of Galleria Parkway, I'd hope wider sidewalks would be possible on both sides of what will be the defacto "replacement" of the lost bridge over I-170. Given the sidewalk shown on the project website, do you think the $535- million awarded rebuild includes at least some new sidewalks linking MetroLink to Brentwood?
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