MetroLink in the Middle of 40?

A question that I often get is “Why isn’t MetroLink being built to go down the middle of Highway 40?” In 1999-2000, the East-West Gateway Council of Governments studied improving transportation to the West which included an examination of putting MetroLink in the Highway 40 right-of-way.

(To view that study in detail go to click here and scroll down to Daniel Boone and you can see the results of that study.)

Basically East-West Gateway Council of Governments concluded that the better alternative was to extend MetroLink to West County along Page Avenue. Personally I believe this is the best decision. Locating transit stops in the middle of highways is brutal for the transit customer since the autos whizzing by on each side creates a very unpleasant environment. To see a local example, stand in the new Central Avenue Station in Clayton on the Cross County alignment to see what I mean.

I have discussed locating transit stops in the middle of highways with transit officials in Chicago and San Francisco and they agree it is a location of last resort. The attraction is that the right-of-way already is there. But being in the middle of a highway kills the desirability to do transit oriented development.

Remember transit riders also are pedestrians and there really are not many good destinations in the 40 corridor that are pedestrian friendly. The area is built up for autos. Large Park and ride lots or garages would be about the best that could be expected initially along the 40 corridor. At least West Port Plaza would have some attraction as a destination.

But nothing will be built without the City and County voters approving additional tax dollars – perhaps a half-cent sales tax – to build to West County and/or the Northside/Southside expansion which Gateway currently has advanced the study to the next level.