News

Oakland Avenue to Receive Makeover

By 2010, St. Louis University High School will enjoy the benefits of a fully reconstructed, 10-mile stretch of Highway 40, including new Hampton and Kingshighway interchanges. Long before then – in fact, before 2009 – the school will also reap the benefits of a completely redeveloped stretch of Oakland Avenue outside its front door.

The Oakland Avenue Streetscape Improvement project work – from Lawn Place in the 4900 block to the Science Center's Exploradome service drive in the 5100 block – is slated to start on Tuesday, May 27, with a tentative target date for completion around Labor Day weekend.

The improvements will include:

- A landscaped median with sculpture and signage treatment

- Resurfacing of Oakland's pavement in that stretch

- Better defined and safer intersections at the entries to SLUH and the Science Center

The $950,000 project, which is separate from the New I-64 project, is 75 percent funded by federal transportation funds, with the remaining 25 percent of costs to be shared by the Science Center (serving as the sponsoring agency) and SLUH. R.V. Wager, Inc. is the general contractor, and HNTB is providing architectural and engineering services.

"We look forward enhancing the aesthetics and safety of the stretch of Oakland Avenue along our campus," says David Laughlin, SLUH President. "It has been a pleasure to partner with the Science Center in transforming our shared vision into reality."

During construction, the traffic control plan for the project area on Oakland calls for Oakland to have at least one lane of traffic open in each direction at all times. In the first two weeks of work, one lane of traffic will be open in each direction down roughly the middle of Oakland. From mid-June on, one lane of westbound traffic and up to two lanes of eastbound traffic will be open. SLUH, the Science Center and the City’s TV studios will have access to and from Oakland throughout the anticipated 14 weeks of work.