Centennial Greenway: Olive to Warson Park

Project Overview

Great Rivers Greenway and the City of Olivette are partnering to build an extension of the Centennial Greenway through Olivette so that people can connect on foot, bicycle, stroller, and wheelchair to Warson Park, the new Olivette Community Center, Indian Meadows Park, and the Olive Blvd. stores and restaurants.

This project will extend the Centennial Greenway linking Shaw Park to Olive Blvd near I-170 two miles further west to Warson Park. When complete, there will be a greenway connection linking Clayton, Ladue, University City and Olivette.

The greenway construction supports actions identified in the Olivette Bike and Walk Plan, the Olivette Parks Master Plan, and the Great Rivers Greenway long-term master plan for this greenway – a 17-mile corridor stretching between Forest Park in the City of St. Louis to Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park in St. Louis County. The full project will be developed in four different segments:

Warson Park- COMPLETE!
Indian Meadows Park-ALMOST DONE! (early 2025)
Railroad segment-Property Acquired November 2024 Construction TBD
Olive and I-170 improvements- COMPLETE!

Project Location

This greenway will extend from the existing Centennial Greenway near I-170 and Olive Blvd. It will continue west along Olive Blvd, and north along a former railroad line before crossing Dielman Rd near Napoleon Blvd. The greenway will follow the River Des Peres to pass through Indian Meadows Park and connect to Warson Park and the new Olivette Community Center.

Project Partners

City of Olivette
Great Rivers Greenway
MoDOT
St. Louis County
Union Pacific Railroad
Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Current Status

The new greenway and community center (Five Oaks on Warson) in Warson Park are complete! Improvements to the Olive/I-170 interchange within the Missouri Department of Transportation right-of-way are almost finished! The improvements in this area include safety enhancements at the four crosswalks on the I-170 exit and entrance ramps, high visibility pavement markings, pedestrian push button crossing signals timed to allow people walking, riding a bike or using a wheelchair to cross through the entire intersection, and a mural under the I-170 bridge.

Next up is the extension of the Centennial Greenway from Warson Park to Indian Meadows Park and Dielman Rd. We have broken ground and this project is under construction.

Work will be completed in phases:
Phase 1 – Dielman Rd to Indian Meadows Park pavilion (January 2024 – June 2024)
Phase 2 – Indian Meadows Park pavilion to Warson Park trail (January 2024 – August 2024)
Landscaping (August 2024 – December 2024)

For greenway neighbors: If you have questions about this project under construction, please reach out to Great Rivers Greenway Project Manager Angelica Gutierrez at (314) 932-4907 or send an email to agutierrez@grgstl.org. The City of Olivette’s representative is Bruce McGregor, City of Olivette Public Works Director, and he can be reached at 314-993-0252 or email at bmcgregor@olivettemo.com

Project Timeline

2018 – Great Rivers Greenway and the City of Olivette worked with community members to study the area and identify the preferred route for the future greenway
2019 – Greenway phases were identified for further planning and design
2020 – Olivette community members provided input to guide the greenway design from Warson Park to Dielman Road
Summer 2021 – Greenway design completed from Warson Park to Dielman Road and along Olive Blvd. near I-170
Fall 2021 – Greenway construction began in Warson Park in coordination with the construction of the Olivette Community Center
2022-2023 – Greenway construction will continue from Warson Park to Dielman Road and along Olive Blvd. near I-170 in coordination with Olive Crossing
2023-Improvements to Olive/I-170 and new mural
2024- Construction of segment in Indian Meadows Park will be completed
2025-2027 – Greenway will be designed and built from Dielman Road to Olive Blvd.