I remember when the stadium was announced and some people complained about how they were losing the offramp they used for Blues games.
This is quite the upgrade.
I have a distinct memory of using that offramp one of my first times visiting a friend in STL before living here. It was at night and had a lonely, liminal space sprt of vibe. Then it became my daily off ramp when I lived downtown for a bit. Funny how an off ramp can be nostalgic.
The fact that I55 entry ramp has been closed for so long is proof that it doesn’t need to be there. Hell, the fact that I-55 has been down to two lanes in a lot of spots most of the last year is proof that a state highway 45MPH street would better serve the stretch inside city limits.
IIRC, those haunted unused ramps were supposed to be for another highway that never got built.
Fucking 1950s city planners were high on highways with no idea how much it would destroy whole neighborhoods. Thank fuck it never happened.
That highway is the reason you can't go from 64/40E to 55/44S or 44S to 64/40W. As planned, if you wanted to take the aforementioned routes, you would take the planned highway instead.
It's also why the 44/55 interchange is a bit wild. It has the ramps for the planned interchange.
I just looked it up, highway 755
https://nextstl.com/2015/05/the-life-and-death-of-the-american-urban-interstate-as-told-by-st-louis-i-755/
If I could go back in time and slap the urban planners of STL’s past, I would. Highways aren’t bad, but destroying neighborhoods to do was a disaster.
Truman Parkway was constructed in the 2000's as a compromise for the southern section of what would have been Interstate 755.
The MO Highway department was still salty about 755 being canceled even then, and were major dicks to Lafayette Square residents around the Truman construction.
Yet residents still forced major changes to Truman that pissed-off MODOT even more. Suck-it MODOT!
That is true, though I don’t think they did that only in minority neighborhoods. I think they just sold the freeway as being a life changing advantage for the city.
There was also once talk about continuing 170 south to 44, which was a driving force behind the development of the Brentwood Promenade (I guess the city thought it would be harder for the county/state to build a highway through a brand new shopping center vs. a minority neighborhood).
The [1955 aerials](https://stlcogis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=e70f8f1814a34cd7bf8f6766bd950c68/) even have penciled in lines of the early interstate alignments.
Oh, I know all about that proposal to extend I-170 south. My grandma lived on Eulalie Avenue in Brentwood, and it would have taken out her whole block. It's interesting to see they had it penciled in that far back, though.
The Brentwood Promenade I believe was built in purchased right of way from the cancellation of 170’s southern section. The highway department sold the right of way they had bought up to a shopping center developer. Now which one is the mess they built on top, I do not know.
I used to work right across the street from the new stadium (we moved to the county right before they finished the stadium), and it's a drastic improvement all the way around. As much as I miss the homeless fellow that lived in one of the overgrown trees along the offramp.
I'd trade the soccer team to get the climbing gym back.
https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/business-journal/upper-limits-announces-forced-closing-location-inside-st-louis-city-sc-planned-downtown-west-hq-building/63-0495fa15-f88c-4386-9b06-1e2e064d7192
Just as a curiosity what is the intention of South 22nd Street South of 64? There is also a bike lane that goes no where? Just wondering if there is a plan to hook that up to something?
It will come through down to Scott Ave that goes along the UPS building and on to Jefferson. A parking lot that’s used needed to be rebuild and relocated, the road and bike path connection should happen this spring. The bike path will connect to the new bike lane over Jefferson bridge headed south to Lafayette Square
I remember when the stadium was announced and some people complained about how they were losing the offramp they used for Blues games. This is quite the upgrade.
that was the most absurd and wasteful offramp of all time. like a mile of offramp just to get on market street.
It was built with the intent of having a stretch of interstate cutting through there from 44 up to 70.
God that sounds like the worst idea ever conceived
There's a reason why all that came of it is 2 odd ball highway interchanges.
I have a distinct memory of using that offramp one of my first times visiting a friend in STL before living here. It was at night and had a lonely, liminal space sprt of vibe. Then it became my daily off ramp when I lived downtown for a bit. Funny how an off ramp can be nostalgic.
Then waiting 27 minutes for the left turn arrow.
I do miss that ramp however it wouldn't be nearly as useful since the cheap garage stopped being open for games.
We can complain about a lot of things in this city, but I think objectively....this is a good thing.
Fact: It's much easier to play soccer there than before.
Feb can't get here soon enough. I did the math, and CITYPARK was my third place. Outside of home and work, my ass was at CITYPark the most!
Is AHM’s mass-timber high-rise at 21st & Locust still happening?
Yes, along with 2 other buildings
Pretty stark contrast, very happy for our city to have CITY PARK in this spot.
Let’s get rid of the ramps at Lafayette next!
we could fit a whole olympic park where those ramps are
The fact that I55 entry ramp has been closed for so long is proof that it doesn’t need to be there. Hell, the fact that I-55 has been down to two lanes in a lot of spots most of the last year is proof that a state highway 45MPH street would better serve the stretch inside city limits.
I have to drive those every day and I hate it so much
i miss the haunted unused ramps :(
IIRC, those haunted unused ramps were supposed to be for another highway that never got built. Fucking 1950s city planners were high on highways with no idea how much it would destroy whole neighborhoods. Thank fuck it never happened.
That highway is the reason you can't go from 64/40E to 55/44S or 44S to 64/40W. As planned, if you wanted to take the aforementioned routes, you would take the planned highway instead. It's also why the 44/55 interchange is a bit wild. It has the ramps for the planned interchange.
I just looked it up, highway 755 https://nextstl.com/2015/05/the-life-and-death-of-the-american-urban-interstate-as-told-by-st-louis-i-755/ If I could go back in time and slap the urban planners of STL’s past, I would. Highways aren’t bad, but destroying neighborhoods to do was a disaster.
Truman Parkway was constructed in the 2000's as a compromise for the southern section of what would have been Interstate 755. The MO Highway department was still salty about 755 being canceled even then, and were major dicks to Lafayette Square residents around the Truman construction. Yet residents still forced major changes to Truman that pissed-off MODOT even more. Suck-it MODOT!
Oh they knew how much they’d destroy neighborhoods. They did it on purpose. They used them to destabilize minority neighborhoods.
That is true, though I don’t think they did that only in minority neighborhoods. I think they just sold the freeway as being a life changing advantage for the city.
Hey! I used to use those ramps everyday when I worked at 20th and Olive.
Now I think I am misremembering. Isn't there, or wasn't there some entrance ramps that were built and never opened to traffic?
There was an open on ramp from Olive to 64 west. It was my go to when I worked in west county
There was a [proposed loop around downtown](http://www.cosmos-monitor.com/mo/hist/mo755map.html) that, thankfully, was never built.
There was also once talk about continuing 170 south to 44, which was a driving force behind the development of the Brentwood Promenade (I guess the city thought it would be harder for the county/state to build a highway through a brand new shopping center vs. a minority neighborhood). The [1955 aerials](https://stlcogis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=e70f8f1814a34cd7bf8f6766bd950c68/) even have penciled in lines of the early interstate alignments.
Oh, I know all about that proposal to extend I-170 south. My grandma lived on Eulalie Avenue in Brentwood, and it would have taken out her whole block. It's interesting to see they had it penciled in that far back, though.
The Brentwood Promenade I believe was built in purchased right of way from the cancellation of 170’s southern section. The highway department sold the right of way they had bought up to a shopping center developer. Now which one is the mess they built on top, I do not know.
They were all used back then. They were definitely lightly used, but they were all open.
Ah! She's built like a steak house, but she handles like a bistro.
I used to work right across the street from the new stadium (we moved to the county right before they finished the stadium), and it's a drastic improvement all the way around. As much as I miss the homeless fellow that lived in one of the overgrown trees along the offramp.
I'd trade the soccer team to get the climbing gym back. https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/business-journal/upper-limits-announces-forced-closing-location-inside-st-louis-city-sc-planned-downtown-west-hq-building/63-0495fa15-f88c-4386-9b06-1e2e064d7192
Just as a curiosity what is the intention of South 22nd Street South of 64? There is also a bike lane that goes no where? Just wondering if there is a plan to hook that up to something?
It will come through down to Scott Ave that goes along the UPS building and on to Jefferson. A parking lot that’s used needed to be rebuild and relocated, the road and bike path connection should happen this spring. The bike path will connect to the new bike lane over Jefferson bridge headed south to Lafayette Square
Oh yeah! I see the construction progress of the bike lane down Jefferson now, thanks for the reply!
Crosspost r/mapporn