Reopening

Our Front Door

In 1964 construction of I-70 closed the new front door
of St. Louis before it was even finished.
I-70 created a 1.5 mile long physical and psychological barrier,
closing St. Louis from its historic front door: the riverfront.
Spaces under the elevated portion of I-70 are dismal at best
& the maze of roadways at grade is confusing and disjointed.
The depressed section resembles a gaping
wound in the landscape of the St. Louis.
Between the elevated and depressed sections, I-70 completely
separates the Arch grounds from Downtown St. Louis.
It is time we reopen
our front door
This was San Francisco from 1959 to 1990. The City by the Bay had been
cut off from the bay.
In 1991 the Embarcadero Freeway
was demolished, reopening the city’s
front door to San Francisco Bay
The pedestrian realm has been
restored along the Embarcadero
Cities that have removed freeways
San Francisco: Embarcadero Freeway
San Francisco: Central Freeway
Portland: Harbor Drive
Milwaukee: Park East Freeway
Toronto: Gardiner Expressway
New York: West Side Highway
Niagara Falls: Robert Moses Parkway
Paris: Pompidou Expressway
Seoul: Cheonggye Freeway
 The New Memorial Drive
A New Front Door for St. Louis

The New Memorial Drive would extend from the Poplar Street
Bridge north to Cass Avenue, reconnecting Downtown St. Louis
with the Arch, Laclede’s Landing and Chouteau’s Landing.
The New Memorial Drive improves connections between destinations
 I-70 & Memorial Drive at Spruce Street

The New Memorial Drive at Spruce Street

I-70 & Memorial Drive at Spruce Street
The New Memorial Drive at Spruce Street
I-70 & Memorial Drive at Pine Street
The New Memorial Drive at Pine Street
 Memorial Drive and I-70
crossing Washington Ave.

Our New Front Door at the Eads Bridge

So what would all of this cost?
The new Highway 40/64 cost $524 million for 10.5 miles
including 20 new bridge structures, or about $50 million
per mile.

The New Memorial Drive would run 1.4 miles from the
Poplar Street Bridge to Cass Avenue, and would involve
mostly demolition, fill and paving at grade. There would
be no new bridge structures included in the project. If a
worst case cost equaling Highway 40 is used this would
be about $70 million.
 What are the alternatives?
The “Lid” concept, which
would actually be a tunnel
would cost $87 million and
would only span 3 blocks,
leaving the depressed &
elevated lanes as well as the
transition barriers to the
north and south.

Comparing $87 million for a 3 block tunnel with $70 million

for the 1.4 mile New Memorial Drive, the New Memorial
Drive is a much better value.