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How We WorkSignificant contributions and in-kind support put the project past the halfway funding mark with 2025 momentum
Brickline Greenway is kicking off 2025 with three huge wins! Great Rivers Greenway (GRG), the public agency connecting the region with greenways who turns 25 this year, has received a major boost to support the project’s vision to connect 14 neighborhoods with 12+ miles of greenways. Significant investments from both BJC Health System (BJC) and Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) push the $245 million public-private partnership past the halfway-funded mark, as well as provide critical match for future federal funding applications. Greater St. Louis, Inc. (GSL) stepped up its commitment by forming a working group of CEOs to support capital campaign efforts, further ensuring success for the project in 2025.
“Brickline Greenway is a transformational project and we’re very pleased to invest in its success,” said WashU Chancellor Andrew D. Martin. “We value a vibrant, connected St. Louis where everyone has opportunities to thrive. Supporting the greenway is a meaningful way for WashU to help shape the region’s future and to advance our commitment to being ‘in St. Louis and for St. Louis.’ We look forward to enjoying the greenway with our friends and neighbors in our community.”
Both WashU and BJC contributed significant gifts to the Great Rivers Greenway Foundation to support the project. Most immediately, this funding helps to provide Great Rivers Greenway’s required local match when they apply in February for a federal transportation grant for the section of Brickline Greenway connecting the Cortex Innovation Community west to Forest Park. (before & after images)
“BJC’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of our communities extends beyond our campuses, clinics and offices,” said Richard Liekweg, Chief Executive Officer of BJC. “We believe in helping create the infrastructure for healthier living, and the research on how to best encourage and support people to make active, healthy choices is very clear – it needs to be easy, safe, accessible and nearby. Brickline Greenway does just that by opening up a world of options to improve the overall health of our St. Louis community.”
Brickline Greenway has garnered just over $58 million in public funds from state and federal sources so far, $18 million of Great Rivers Greenway’s local tax dollars and more than $55 million in private funding. GRG and GSL are working in collaboration to raise the rest of the philanthropic investment by rallying the business community to support the community-centered project, which the STL 2030 Jobs Plan — a 10-year roadmap for boosting economic growth — calls “one of the most ambitious and inclusive placemaking efforts in the country.”
“A priority project in the STL 2030 Jobs Plan, Brickline Greenway is estimated to provide a 2:1 return on investment, contribute to the revitalization of Downtown St. Louis, and connect people across neighborhoods to jobs and opportunity,” said Dustin Allison, Interim CEO for GSL. “Partnering to bring the campaign across the finish line is a natural fit for our collaborative approach to equitable growth in St. Louis.”
“Brickline Greenway is a testament to the power of partnership and we’re so grateful to GSL, WashU, and BJC for their commitment and collaboration for this project’s bold vision and what it means for leveraging other funding to get this done for the community,” said Susan Trautman, Chief Executive Officer for GRG.
“We’ve completed two segments, we have Market Street under construction now, the City of St. Louis has bid out both of their connector projects (20th Street and Tower Grove Connector), and we’ll bid out North Grand in the next month.”
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Media kit: https://greatriversgreenway.org/media-kit/
About Brickline Greenway/Great Rivers Greenway
Brickline Greenway is a bold vision to connect people and our city’s most treasured places, creating inspiring experiences and equitable opportunities for growth. This will be a network of 12+ miles of greenways, linking up to 14 neighborhoods in the City of St. Louis, connecting Forest Park to the Gateway Arch National Park, Fairground Park to Tower Grove Park and hundreds of destinations in between. The project aims to finish in 2030 and is now 54% funded through local tax dollars, State of Missouri funds, several federal grants and private philanthropy, and Brickline North Community Development Corporation has formed to aid in ensuring equitable economic impact along the way. BricklineGreenway.org
Great Rivers Greenway is a public agency, created by a vote of the people in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County in the year 2000 to create a sales tax dedicated to connecting the region with greenways. There are 135 miles of greenways and counting for you to explore and enjoy! GreatRiversGreenway.org
About Greater St. Louis, Inc.
Greater St. Louis, Inc. brings together business and civic leaders to create jobs, expand inclusive economic growth, and improve St. Louis’ global competitiveness. We speak with a unified voice, lead with a bold agenda, and act as one metro anchored by a vibrant urban core. Learn more at GreaterSTLinc.com.
About Washington University
Washington University in St. Louis is among the world’s leaders in teaching, research, patient care and service to society. WashU is distinctive in its purpose-driven scholarship across a wide range of academic disciplines, its highly supportive residential undergraduate experience, and its world-class research enterprise, which addresses scientific, social, economic and medical challenges locally, nationally and globally. The university is highly ranked in many national surveys, including #21 on the U.S. News & World Report’s list of top national universities. The university is deeply rooted in St. Louis, a city with a rich history and contemporary vibrancy. Learn more about WashU by visiting wustl.edu.
About BJC Health System
BJC Health System is one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States and the largest in the state of Missouri, serving urban, suburban, and rural communities across Missouri, southern Illinois, eastern Kansas, and the greater Midwest region. One of the largest employers in Missouri, BJC operates as BJC HealthCare in its East Region and as Saint Luke’s in its West Region. BJC comprises 24 hospitals and hundreds of clinics and service organizations all committed to providing extraordinary patient care and advancing medical breakthroughs. BJC’s nationally recognized academic hospitals—Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s Hospitals—are affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine. To learn more, visit BJC.org, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.