Memo to: Board of DirectorsFrom: Staff Subject: Independent Review of the Poplar Street Bridge/I-55/I-70 InterchangeProjectDate: September 20, 2012At a special meeting held on September 14, 2012 the Board of Directors was briefed onthe Independent Review of the Poplar Street Bridge/I-55/I-70 Interchange projectconducted by HDR Engineering, Inc. Based on the findings HDR recommended aprogram of phased improvements to address the issue of removing a ramp fromeastbound I-70 to eastbound I-64 in addition to providing a long term, positive, regionalbenefit in terms of reduced congestion and increased accessibility.The improvements (Attachment A) recommended by HDR include:
Phase 1 - The construction of the Martin Luther King (MLK) Connector,reconstruction of Ramps C (westbound I-64 to westbound I-70) and D(westbound I-64 to southbound I-55), and removal of Ramp B (eastbound I-70to eastbound I-64). Implementation of the improvements would begin in 2015and the total estimated cost is $42.7 million;
Phase 2 - Widening the eastbound section of the Poplar Street Bridge (PSB) toadd one lane, reconstructing Ramp A (northbound I-55 to eastbound I-64), andimplementing the I-64 Split Initial which would extend the Sixth Street on-rampas an unimpeded “add lane” utilizing the lane added to the PSB. The activitieswould begin in 2016 at a total estimated cost of $37. 3 million; and
Phase 3 - Construct the I-64 Split Final which would complete a “collector-distributor” connection between the Sixth Street off-ramp and on-rampeffectively creating a third lane of capacity for eastbound I-64. The totalestimated cost is $31 million and construction could begin as soon as funding isavailable.The recommendations allow the overall project to be phased in as funding becomesavailable. Each phase would improve operations and safety, could operateindependently, and could be designed to easily anticipate the next phase of work. Eachphase was also developed with the intent of integrating and complementingimprovements that are already planned and underway - namely the new MississippiRiver Bridge and City-Arch-River.
Board of DirectorsSeptember 20, 2012Page 2The HDR recommendations were well received by the Board of Directors. The totalcost of the phased improvements is estimated at $111 million. There seemed to beconsensus on moving ahead with Phases 1 and 2 and pursuing Phase 3 at a future date.By moving ahead with the two initial phases at a combined cost of $80 million, IDOTwould need to secure $25 million in addition to the $55 million that MoDOT hascommitted. The IDOT funding would be used to implement improvements in theIllinois portion of the region and to pay for their share of improvements to the PSB.Since the improvements need to be included in the Transportation ImprovementProgram (TIP) to move toward construction, the Illinois Board members identified theneed to obtain the required funding.Based on the nature of the recommended improvements, the inclusion of any of thoseimprovements in the TIP would trigger a new air quality conformity determination priorto being included in the TIP document - - the conformity process takes approximatelythree months to complete.Due to the time it may take to secure additional funding, and the requirement to updatethe air quality conformity determination for the addition of any of the recommendedimprovements to the TIP (except those that are already included in the draft TIP), actionto amend the TIP cannot occur until the January Board meeting. However, the Boardcan make a formal commitment now to amend the TIP and Air Quality ConformityDetermination at their January meeting to serve as an official commitment adopted bythe East-West Gateway Board of Directors.
Staff Recommendation:
That the Board of Directors:
Approve the Draft FY 2013-2016 Transportation Improvement Program anddirect staff to begin the process of amending the TIP and Air QualityConformity in January to include the recommended improvements identified inPhases 1 and 2 of the Poplar Street Bridge Independent Review; and
Include Phase 3 of the recommended improvements as part of a future TIP.
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Bridge Memo
An outline of the compromise on the Poplar Street Bridge from East-West Gateway
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