By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – Leaders of St. Louis' business community say they want to figure out the best way to maintain traffic and commerce along Highway 40 while workers overhaul 12 miles of the freeway.
Local business leaders hired Cambridge Systematics of Boston to come up with ideas for mitigating the expected traffic chaos.
The firm's Marc Cutler says his city's main downtown highway stayed open while crews tunneled a new path underneath it.
"The Central Artery project in Boston, though it certainly had many challenges, was constructed through the heart of downtown Boston very successfully," Cutler said. "Traffic was maintained."
However that project went $12 billion over budget.
Cutler says his firm is looking at four possible lane closure scenarios for Highway 40 involving different amounts of traffic.PLeaders of St. Louis' business community say they want to figure out the best way to maintain traffic and commerce along Highway 40 while workers overhaul 12 miles of the freeway.
Construction is set to start next year.