Photos of the Arch never reveal this; certainly none of mine to date. Interstate 70 essentially runs in a ditch between the monument and the rest of downtown, creating a moat separating the two. It is crossed by streets, as at the left above, but it still creates a physical and psychological barrier between the big wicket and its city. The National Park Service, local authorities and foundations with money to donate have debated what to do about this for years. Nothing ever happens. Local traffic reports refer to this stretch of highway as the depressed lanes. Maybe it would help if a truckload of Zoloft got into a wreck down there.This photo was taken on November 16, 2008, the same day as today's post on my St. Louis Daily Photo Blog. I risked life and limb to get it since there's no sidewalk where I was standing on a narrow curb, beside a traffic lane of Memorial Drive.
