I’ve admonished East-West Gateway in the past for not properly maintaining their website which remains riddled with broken links. That same lack of care also shows in some of the documents produced by the agency.

Take, for example, the Missouri and Illinois Roadway Functional Classification maps dated September 2010. The map for the City of St. Louis still depicts an “ultimate” buildout for the new Mississippi River Bridge which has been scaled down in size and scope since 2008. As originally planned, ramps would have extended from the new bridge to as far as 14th St at Cole St.

While East-West Gateway could be forgiven for the Mississippi River Bridge error given its recent nature, the error in the vicinity of the future 22nd St interchange with I-64 is just bizarre. The map shows lines extending from the Pine, Market, and Chestnut St ramps connecting to 22nd St north of Olive St. It’s as if someone forgot to tell East-West Gateway that these ramps nor the rest of MO-755 were ever built.

Phantom roads aren’t the only type of errors that can be seen in the functional classification maps. Also visible are remnants of old neighborhoods that have been built over for large commercial developments. In a way, these parts of the maps are like taking a glimpse into the past of the St. Louis region.

In the Kirkwood area, Meacham Park can be seen in it’s entirety. Over a third of this black neighborhood was destroyed to make way for Target, Lowe’s, and Walmart which now make up Kirkwood Commons. Another sliver was taken away for a Sam’s Club just a few years later.

Also visible on the St. Louis County map is the old Clay North neighborhood in Richmond Heights. This neighborhood gave way to the St. Louis Galleria, the expansion of which signaled the death knell of St. Louis Centre and Union Station.

There are many other errors in the functional classification maps that I have not mentioned. What others can you find?