urbanSTL

An $11 million buildout of below-grade shell space in Biomedical Research Building One, a 916,000 sf translational research facility at the heart of the Washington University School of Medicine/BJH Hospital campus, creates a substantial research animal vivarium, seven-bay truck dock, and shipping and receiving area. The project faces a number of design and construction challenges, including an extension of the city’s light rail system beneath the building.

From Cannon's website

According to the quote on Cannon's website, the station is changing. Is this true Busdad?

2nd tower crane is up, I'll try to snap some pics.

Cool! Thanks for keeping us up to date, Doc.

DrDrew wrote:

You'd think BJC would have been willing to buck up for an enclosed/underground MetroLink station. It would have been ideal to incorporate it into this building, unless - I'm not sure - maybe there would not have been enough room to the south of the tracks for a platform? Are there perhaps long term plans to create such a station somewhere else?

jlblues wrote:You'd think BJC would have been willing to buck up for an enclosed/underground MetroLink station. It would have been ideal to incorporate it into this building, unless - I'm not sure - maybe there would not have been enough room to the south of the tracks for a platform? Are there perhaps long term plans to create such a station somewhere else?

Not quite sure what you mean. Create a new CWE Metrolink station underneath the new BJC building? The CWE MetroLink station(map) is already located not 200 ft away on the opposite side of Euclid from this building. Moving it across the street and underneath this building would be a bad idea as it would place the station farther away from Metro's new CWE bus hub one long block away on Taylor.

Mill204 wrote:

jlblues wrote:You'd think BJC would have been willing to buck up for an enclosed/underground MetroLink station. It would have been ideal to incorporate it into this building, unless - I'm not sure - maybe there would not have been enough room to the south of the tracks for a platform? Are there perhaps long term plans to create such a station somewhere else?

Not quite sure what you mean. Create a new CWE Metrolink station underneath the new BJC building? The CWE MetroLink station(map) is already located not 200 ft away on the opposite side of Euclid from this building. Moving it across the street and underneath this building would be a bad idea as it would place the station farther away from Metro's new CWE bus hub one long block away on Taylor.

Yes, that is exactly what I meant. And, thanks for the map , but I know exactly where the existing station is, but why not take the opportunity to create a station with direct, enclosed access to the BJC campus? The current station sucks, as it is not centrally located and is exposed to the elements, making people wait outside and walk across a busy street to get to the campus. As far as the bus hub goes, if you are currently expecting people to walk a block or so to the BJC campus, then why is it too much to expect them to walk a block to the bus hub? An enclosed, or at least covered, walkway to the bus hub could be created quite easily.



My point is that BJC spends millions to create nice lobbies and waiting areas for visitors and patients, so why can't they buck up to create a decent MetroLink station???

Gone Corporate wrote:Sure it would be nice, but BJC is under no duty at all to build for Metro what Metro would be oblidged to build from its own budget. Private entities adjacent to Metrolink stops should have the right to help contribute to station designs and increase ridership opportunities, but it is under no obligation to build public facilities. There is no precedent for such.

Not in St. Louis, no.

Gone Corporate wrote:Let BJC worry about their new buildings first, then consider whether or not they have enough money to build a public structure that Metro has the duty to build itself. Any demands by the public for them to build a site for Metro is an undue burden in itself.

Puhleeze, BJC could build this with spare change. "Duty", "obliged", "burden"...what are you talking about? Metro has/had the duty to build exactly what is there now, nothing more. The point is that, given all of the money BJC sinks into public lobbies, waiting areas, plazas, landscaping, street beautification, etc., why is it such a stretch to imagine them partnering with Metro to build a decent enclosed station, especially for a station which is primarily utilized by BJC employees, patients and visitors? Anywhere else, this would be a no-brainer.

Gone Corporate wrote:Also, the needs of their patients and research should probably take priority in budgetary considerations over a roof for the public train.

Again, who do you think the majority of users of this station are??? I suspect BJC gives transit vouchers to it's employees, so again why is it such a stretch to imagine them investing in the Metro station as well, a station which benefits it's employees, researchers, patients, and visitors???

Gone Corporate wrote:I'd like it, but I won't demand they should. At the least, a please would be nice.

Nobody is demanding anything, I'm just pointing out what should be obvious.

Improving the CWE station would also be a lot cheaper to BJC than building more parking decks. There must be some financial benefit afterall to them, considering BJC-WU is already the largest participator by far in subsidized transit passes.

jlblues wrote:

Mill204 wrote:

jlblues wrote:You'd think BJC would have been willing to buck up for an enclosed/underground MetroLink station. It would have been ideal to incorporate it into this building, unless - I'm not sure - maybe there would not have been enough room to the south of the tracks for a platform? Are there perhaps long term plans to create such a station somewhere else?

Not quite sure what you mean. Create a new CWE Metrolink station underneath the new BJC building? The CWE MetroLink station(map) is already located not 200 ft away on the opposite side of Euclid from this building. Moving it across the street and underneath this building would be a bad idea as it would place the station farther away from Metro's new CWE bus hub one long block away on Taylor.

Yes, that is exactly what I meant. And, thanks for the map , but I know exactly where the existing station is, but why not take the opportunity to create a station with direct, enclosed access to the BJC campus? The current station sucks, as it is not centrally located and is exposed to the elements, making people wait outside and walk across a busy street to get to the campus. As far as the bus hub goes, if you are currently expecting people to walk a block or so to the BJC campus, then why is it too much to expect them to walk a block to the bus hub? An enclosed, or at least covered, walkway to the bus hub could be created quite easily.



My point is that BJC spends millions to create nice lobbies and waiting areas for visitors and patients, so why can't they buck up to create a decent MetroLink station???

it would be nice to have more overhangs to provide shade and cover from the elements, but i think what is there serves it purpose fine. compared to all of the other metro stations, it doesn't seem to be any worse or lacking. it doesn't look all that old based on the pictures posted above and looks decent IMO.

Looks like this place is nearly topped-out. Can anyone post some updated photos?

Drove by the other day and noticed that it was about topped out also, the efficiency at which BJC proposes, designs, and builds their projects is nothing short of amazing.

More construction happenings

Quick pic of the building from the Metro platform. The area to the right would end up taller than the part in the foreground in a future Phase II.

Does anyone know what is to become of the streets bordering the new building? Specifically, Euclid and Audubon (in green below)? I am fearfully that they will be closed to traffic much like Parkview and Euclid to the north (in red).

Good question. It irritates the hell out of me that they were allowed to close Euclid. Makes no sense to me.

I don't get it. The complex keeps getting bigger and bigger, but they keep cutting access. Can anyone play devil's advocate and explain their thinking to me?

Maybe because the campus keeps getting bigger and bigger they feel that they don't want the through traffic clogging things up? Clearly they're putting very large garages at the periphery so there's probably little need for someone to drive through the area. The problem I see is that Taylor is being treated as an alley - parking garages everywhere, but it's a heavily trafficked road for those going to the medical center - or at least the 2nd most traveled after Kingshighway. BJC is spending millions to add western access ramps to Tower Grove from I-64, but doing less to have campus circulation make sense.