Richmond Heights (KMOX) -- The end is now officially in sight for the 64/40 reconstruction in St. Louis County. At 9:30 this morning, project spokesman Dan Galvin says MODOT officials are expected to announce their phase two re-opening date, covering the construction from Kingshighway to Interstate-170.
The news can't come soon enough for businesses and municipalities along the highway. In Richmond Heights, which saw access to local businesses restricted by both phases of the two year long construction project, government spokesman Irene Johnson says revenues dropped sharply in 2009 - more than 20-percent.
"Nobody forsaw the bottom out of the economy starting last year," Johnson said. "So the question is how much is actually due to the highway, and how much is due to the economy itself."
The story is the same in other communities along the highway -- Maplewood, Brentwood, Clayton and others -- where revenues fell during the shutdown, but not as severely as initially feared.
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