Third Street from Convent Street to Washington Avenue
Construction Date: Began in 1951 Last Stage Completed: 1955
THIRD STREET EXPRESSWAY
As automobiles began to proliferate during the twentieth century, St. Louis felt the need to update its roadways. St. Louisans, like most other Americans, were traveling more by automobile, which caused a greater need for highways, expressways, and easier driving within the downtown area. Nationwide, car sales increased from 3.7 million in 1940 to 6.6 million in 1950 and 7.9 million in 1955. Likewise, throughout the United States there were 27 million registered automobiles in 1940 as compared to 40 million in 1950 and 52 million in 1955. As automobile ridership increased it made the smaller roads of the time cramped and congested. Streets to, from, and within the city needed to be changed to be more automobile friendly. In order to do this St. Louis built new highways, like the Third Street Expressway, changed driving procedures, and tried to accommodate the automobile.
