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"Those of us who spend our lives in the car are terrified we won't be able to go anywhere," said one poor driver in a recent PD article.
From the same article:
That means for two years, Terry Frank of Creve Coeur won't be able to use Highway 40 as his straight shot downtown.
"I have no clue how I'm going to get to work," said Frank, managing director of Century Securities. "It's going to take two to three times longer to get back and forth."
I just can't sympathize with these drivers. We all make choices, and if you choose to "live in" your car, or live a good distance from your job, school, whatever, then you've got to accept that there could be consequences that come with that choice. Highway construction is a fact of life. Aside from that, if you can't figure out how to get to downtown from Creve Couer without getting on 40 than you deserve to have a long commute time. Looking at a regional map, downtown St. Louis truly is where all major roads and highways converge.
You know, the reconstruction may give drivers an opportunity to rediscover the oldest parts of St. Louis County and the City by getting them off the highways and into some of these great municipalities/neighborhoods. I realize not many are really going to take in the scenery when they're fuming about not being able to go 80 miles an hour, but maybe a few people will be able to take in a few things that they've missed.
I don't know, it's interesting that drivers who complain about the construction don't see how they are partly to blame for the problems that make reconstruction of Highway 40 necessary. I'm going to be inconvenienced as well. Getting to my parents house in St. Charles County will take a bit longer, but I only go out there once a week, so it's not that big of a deal. More importantly, I choose to live less than 6 miles away from my job and highways aren't a necessity for me.
You'd probably care if you lived in STL and HAD to work in far west County. In my profession, there are only 3 companies in the world doing what I do; so the options are quite limited. The place of employment is in Chesterfield. My soul would wither and die if I had to live in West County (not to mention, I couldn't afford it). The sacrifices I make on the drive time are well worth the fact that I love stl and my wife can stay at home and raise our 3 kids without daycare. But, I do have to agree with you that commutes are personal choices we all must make. Live by the sword, die by the sword. I wish I work in the City, but that's just not a possibility.
By 
Brick City, at
11:53 AM
I hope your commute doesn't cause you too many headaches...but I think you'll have them!
Yours sounds like a special circumstance, and I'm sure there are plenty of people in your position. It's a shame our region is so decentralized...if it wasn't maybe you could work closer to home.
For me, I never considered or applied for a job that was west of 170. I realize it's nice to have that choice
Perhaps people will think about moving to the city. We could use more life in the city and more residents here as well.
By 
Seeing St. Louis, at
6:08 PM
"...if you can't figure out how to get to downtown from Creve Couer without getting on 40 than you deserve to have a long commute time."
Amen!!!
By Dragon Lady, at
8:18 PM
This post has been removed by the author.
By Dragon Lady, at
8:20 PM
I work in St. Charles County and live in the city. I know you don't care because you won't have to deal with it, but I will.
I would move closer, but I can't afford to, nor would I want to live out there. There aren't really any other options for me right now as far as getting a better job in the city.
I really don't feel sorry for the St. Charles County commuters because they voted down a metrolink station, which would have made this whole mess a hell of alot better.
I am pissed off and angry because of the poor planning involved and the limited options that I will have available in getting to my job without a major headache.
I'm happy that you have a job downtown and at this point, I wish I did as well. However, I don't see this changing and I find it completely ridiculous that a bunch that people in Jeff City who have no idea how this will impact St. Louisans are making decisions about our major arteries of transportation.
By Brick City, at
8:36 PM
I will have to deal with it, just not on a daily basis. I travel to STC once or twice a week. I've mapped out my way to get there from the City and it'll be fine. I think all of us are going to have to deal with the 40 shut down in some way.
Do I feel the pain of the drivers stuck in traffic? Sure! But the region's poor planning and our need for more, more, more, new, new, new caused a lot of the problems, so my sympathy quickly dissipates.
I used to work in Maryland Heights and told myself I'd do just about anything to get a job closer to home, and that's what I did. Spending 1.5 hours a day commuting was a quality of life issue I couldn't tolerate.
Also, 40 isn't the only way to get around this town, we have options. Those options may add some time to our commutes, but they are options nonetheless, the world isn't going to end.
I mostly sympathize with businesses, I think they are really going to feel the pinch when construction starts up full tilt.qy
By , at
2:14 PM
Great article in the post written by the president of the Downtown St. Louis Resident's Association:
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/editorialcommentary/story/8C18BF658C13C9ED862572AB004EE0C0?OpenDocument&highlight=2%2C%22fratello%22
By
Anonymous, at
9:19 PM
Yes yes yes! Couldn't agree more.