Best Public Works Project

MetroLink expansion has sprouted in many locales simultaneously, so it's easy to assess the progress. Whether it's straddling Interstate 44 near Shrewsbury, disrupting Skinker Boulevard at Forest Park Parkway or slicing Clayton at Forsyth, we can follow its pace based on how it's inconveniencing us in the short term. No longer an abstraction but a fundamental alteration of the area's transportation infrastructure, the line addition will connect Forest Park, Clayton, Shrewsbury, Interstate 44 and Watson Road with Lambert Airport, downtown and the east side. Of course, to be the best, you have to toss in a little controversy, conspiracy and delay. A few months ago officials from the Metro transit agency canned the project's general contractor and they're now overseeing the project themselves. That should be entertaining! Already, the projected completion date is a year later than scripted. Then again, we don't judge the pyramids by whether they were completed on time.