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Category: Projects
St. Vincent Greenway Expansion Connects Pagedale Community with Rock Road Metro Station and St. Vincent County Park
$15 Million State of Missouri Contribution for Brickline Greenway Adds to Public-Private Project Momentum
Great Rivers Greenway and partners delivering vital connections and dynamic experiences with 10 miles of greenways and special places along the way
St. Louis (June 30, 2023) – Great Rivers Greenway’s Brickline Greenway project got another boost this week. This major public-private partnership will link historic Fairground Park, Forest Park, Tower Grove Park and Gateway Arch National Park and hundreds of destinations in between with safe, paved pathways. The initiative, launched with an international design competition in 2017 and celebrated the grand opening of the Pillars of the Valley monument earlier this year, has secured significant funding from the State of Missouri Capital Improvement Budget for 2024.
“This $15 million investment provides powerful momentum for the Brickline Greenway, which has been envisioned with input from thousands of residents, businesses and organizations who understand how civic infrastructure boosts the economy of our city and our state,” said Susan Trautman, Great Rivers Greenway CEO. “We’re so grateful for this bi-partisan effort, championed by Senators Steven Roberts and Karla May, and for Governor Parson’s approval of this funding.”
On the heels of a prominent feature in the New York Times, the signing of House Bill 19 adds to the attention Brickline Greenway is earning as an essential part of St. Louis’ future. The development has received broad-based buy-in from residents and businesses who believe it will provide great benefits to the region. With Brickline Greenway being a key component of their STL 2030 Jobs Plan, Greater St. Louis, Inc. co-funded a study conducted by Ernst & Young on the projected economic and social impact for the city, region and state. The report shows the urban greenway will ultimately create shared prosperity for neighborhoods and boost the local economy with upwards of $462 million invested in construction, operations and maintenance—a 2:1 return on investment.
“My priority every day is to think about what happens next to the greenway, how to strengthen neighborhoods, create jobs and work with partners to influence the kind of equitable economic impact the community needs and wants,” said T. Christopher Peoples, Equity and Economic Impact Director for Great Rivers Greenway.
The total project budget is $245 million, with nearly 40% of that already secured through a diversity of sources, including $28 million in federal grants; $15 million from the State of Missouri; a recent $2 million in Missouri state tax credits to incentivize further private donations; $15 million from Great Rivers Greenway’s local tax dollars; $2 million from the City of St. Louis to fund improvements on North Grand; and more than $36 million in corporate and private gifts from early investors such as Edward Jones and the Berges Family Foundation.
Currently, two segments are complete, three more are being designed with community engagement, and several more are in planning. Brickline Greenway construction will continue through 2030.
“The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive and these public and private contributions are an extension of that excitement,” said Trautman. “We are grateful for the shared commitment to this bold vision and look forward to bringing more sections to life throughout the next 5-8 years.”
Deer Creek Greenway is Coming to Brentwood
Small section of Deer Creek Greenway in Deer Creek Park temporarily closed to accommodate improvements to Deer Creek stream bank
Submit your comments to support two Greenway Projects through March 24!
Through March 24, 2021, you have the chance to submit your comments about projects seeking federal funding through East-West Gateway’s Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, including two greenway extensions!
Centennial Greenway Update
I-170 and Olive Blvd. to Warson Park
We are working in partnership with the City of Olivette to plan the next segment of the Centennial Greenway from its existing endpoint at I-170 and Olive to Warson Park. Over the course of 2018, our planning team engaged with Olivette neighbors to learn the community’s priorities for a greenway through the city. Over the course of this year, we’ve asked for additional feedback about what would make your Centennial Greenway experience great. Thanks to all who weighed in on our summer 2020 survey. (Scroll down follow the progress of this project- you can view a summary of the 2020 survey and the map of the alignment the community identified for the expanded greenway. You can also watch two videos; a preliminary design update and recap of the 2018 planning study!)
Thanks to everyone who joined us at our online Community Meeting November 18, 2020!
If you could not make the November 18 meeting, you can watch it below.
Centennial Greenway in Olivette 2020 Survey Summary
GRG_Centennial Greenway_SurveyResults 2020 1027DRAFT
Please take a minute to watch the video below for a preliminary design update.
Watch the video below for a recap of the 2018 planning study:
If you would like to receive project updates or notifications of open houses or other engagement opportunities, complete the form below:
Centennial Greenway in Olivette Updates
Greenway Project Update: November 2020
While the big news this fall was the opening of the new bridge connecting the River des Peres and Gravois Greenways – there are many other greenway projects moving forward across the region. Here’s a quick update:
Deer Creek Greenway: Deer Creek Center to River des Peres Greenway
This project aims to extend the Deer Creek Greenway from its endpoint at Big Bend Blvd. through Maplewood to connect to the River des Peres Greenway at the intersection of Ellendale and Canterbury in the City of St. Louis. Preliminary design of the new route continues and we’ll work with the community to develop final designs throughout 2021-2022. If the project is approved by partners, construction is slated for 2023-2024. We’ll also be working with the City of Webster Groves to develop a small pocket park/pedestrian trailhead at Big Bend and Oxford (formerly McDonalds) that will connect to the future Maplewood greenway. Read more.
Deer Creek Connector
We are working with the City of Brentwood to plan, design and construct a connection between the Deer Creek Greenway at Marshall Road and Brentwood’s Norm West Park and Rogers Parkway. This project is a part of the city’s $80 million Brentwood Bound storm water mitigation plan for the Deer Creek flood plain and will incorporate numerous water quality, stream bank, restoration and open space features, as well as an underpass below Manchester Road for a seamless connection for people walking and biking. Design is underway and construction is expected to begin summer 2021, with completion in 2022.
Brickline Greenway
The Brickline Greenway continues to make progress on planning and design, driven by community engagement. 130+ institutional and cultural partners, neighborhood representatives, private funders and city staff are in working groups that are stewarding the following three segments:
- Fairground Park to Grand MetroLink Station (and eventually east to NGA)
- Central West End MetroLink Station to Grand MetroLink Station
- Harris Stowe State University to the Major League Soccer Stadium – including an art installation by artist Damon Davis to remember and honor the Mill Creek Valley neighborhood
In addition to those segments, we will continue to collaborate with other projects in our region such as the Cortex to Tower Grove Connector project (a collaboration of Trailnet, City of St. Louis, Arch to Park and many others), Project Connect, the PGA Golf project on North Grand and the St. Louis Development Corporation’s Equitable Economic Development Plan to ensure these efforts and the Brickline Greenway support and complement each other. Want to get involved with the project. (Sign up here to get email or text message updates and invitations to give input on the Brickline Greenway.)
Centennial Greenway: Christy Drive to Hackmann Drive (St. Charles County)
This project will extend the Centennial Greenway: Katy Trail to Heritage Museum in St. Charles County to Schaefer Park. It will also set the stage for future greenway connections that will make it possible to walk or ride a bike on dedicated walking and biking paths all the way from the St. Peters Rec-Plex to the Katy Trail. In 2019, community members weighed in on proposed routes and amenities for the greenway. Design is in progress and expected to be bid for construction in 2021-2022. We will also be adding wayfinding signs along the planned Centennial Greenway project that is being constructed by the City of St. Peters which extends from Hackmann Road to Spencer Creek Trail adjacent to Harvester Church of the Nazarene.
Centennial Greenway I-170 and Olive Blvd to Warson Park
We are working with the City of Olivette to plan the next segment of the Centennial Greenway from I-170 and Olive to Warson Park. Over the course of 2018 and 2019, our planning team engaged with Olivette neighbors to learn the community’s priorities for a greenway through the city. The next steps will be design for Phase 1 (Dielman Rd to Warson Park and the new Olivette Community Center) and launching the process to build the greenway along the former railroad line. Final design for phase 1 is scheduled to be completed in 2021. Final Design for phase 2 (Olive Blvd and I-170 to Dielman Rd) is expected to begin in 2021, or as soon as we receive clearance to build the greenway along the former rail line. If we are unable to build in this corridor, we will proceed with plans for the alternate route. Read more here.
River des Peres Greenway to Mississippi Greenway
The final half mile—between South Broadway and the northwest corner of the River City Casino property—to connect the River des Peres and Mississippi Greenways has been on hold to allow for Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) sewer line repairs and improvements, and to obtain clearance from Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) to construct the greenway beneath the railroad bridge. After many delays due to flooding, MSD has completed their project. We are now waiting for a positive response from UPRR which will allow us to complete the greenway. Stay tuned for additional updates on this project!
Maline Greenway in Ferguson
This 1.5 mile stretch of the Maline Greenway will link the Ted Jones Trail to Forestwood Park and then on to West Florissant Avenue. By connecting to the Ted Jones Trail, it also opens up a connection to the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus and the St. Vincent Greenway. In 2019, the project was awarded $2 million in federal Surface Transportation Program funds that will be used for construction. As the design moves forward in 2021, we will be reaching out to community members to share updates periodically and gather feedback from select focus groups. There is still plenty of design work to be completed before the federal funds are made available to us in October of 2022. Construction is slated to begin in late 2022.
Hodiamont Greenway
We are working with the community to plan a greenway along the former Hodiamont Tracks. The greenway will include the seven neighborhoods of Covenant Blu-Grand Center, Vandeventer, Lewis Place, Fountain Park, Academy/Sherman Park, Visitation Park and West End. (Sign up here to get email or text message updates and invitations to give input on the Hodiamont Greenway.)
St Vincent Greenway
We are working with many partners to close the gap between the northern and southern segments of the St. Vincent Greenway. When complete, the greenway will stretch between Forest Park at Lindell through the University of Missouri-St. Louis Campus to the North Hanley MetroLink. We’ll complete this greenway in three phases- here’s the latest update on each phase:
Trojan Park to former Eskridge High School Site (Phase 1): This will extend the greenway an additional .53 miles from its current endpoint at Trojan Park on Etzel Avenue to the site of the former Eskridge High school in Wellston. Plans are complete and we’ll break ground on the .53 mile expansion from Trojan Park in early 2021 once utility relocations are complete!
St. Vincent County Park to Rock Road Transit Center (Phase 2): This .83 mile section will parallel St. Charles Rock Road with a direct connection to the Rock Road Transit Center and St. Vincent County Park. Plans for this project are complete. It will be built as part of Missouri Department of Transportation’s improvements to St. Charles Rock Road in partnership with St. Louis County Parks and Bi-State Metro. Construction is expected to begin in 2021.
Eskridge High School Site to St. Charles Rock Road through Pagedale (Phase 3): Thanks to the input and feedback from the Pagedale community, in early 2020 we identified the route for the greenway from the former Eskridge High School to St. Charles Rock Road. We are working through the design phase to develop technical construction documents to prepare the project for future construction in 2022.
Deer Creek Greenway Update
We have been working in partnership with the cities of Maplewood, Webster Groves and St. Louis to extend the Deer Creek Greenway from its current endpoint near the Deer Creek Shopping Center through the cities of Maplewood and St. Louis to connect to the River des Peres Greenway at Canterbury Avenue near Francis R. Slay Park.
In late 2018 and early 2019, project partners reached out to the community to evaluate design options for three key intersections along the route of the future greenway: Big Bend and Oxford Blvd, Greenwood Blvd. and Sutton (at the Union Pacific Railroad tracks) and Greenwood Blvd at Canterbury Avenue. Through a series of stakeholder meetings and open house events, the community shared their feedback for each of these intersections.
This input will be considered through the next phase of planning. An assessment of utilities, properties and environmental conditions such as trees and storm water management along the proposed greenway route was completed over summer 2020.
Preliminary design of the new route continues and we’ll work with the community to develop final designs throughout 2021-2022. If the project is approved by partners, construction is slated for 2023-2024. We’ll also be working with the City of Webster Groves to develop a small pocket park/pedestrian trailhead at Big Bend and Oxford (formerly McDonalds) that will connect to the future Maplewood greenway.
We look forward to engaging with the community (at a safe distance of course!) as planning and design continues. Stay tuned for invites and opportunities to learn more about this project and to provide feedback. And as always, we welcome you to share your thoughts and to ask questions. Feel free to call us at 314-436-7009 or email info@grgstl.org.
Complete the form below to get updates on the project:
Deer Creek Greenway to River des Peres Greenway- Updates
Submit your comments about Centennial Greenway for federal funding consideration
Through September 24, 2020, you have the chance to submit your comments about projects that seek federal funding through East-West Gateway’s Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). TAP funds can be used for projects such as bicycle and pedestrian facilities, Safe Routes to School infrastructure or programming, community improvement and environmental mitigation activities, and preservation of historic transportation facilities.
We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible – use the form below to send your feedback on this greenway project. We also encourage you to look through their full list (there are several of our partners seeking funding on greenway projects) and give any feedback you have on any or all of the opportunities. It only takes a moment and is a great way to make sure your voice is heard. East-West Gateway staff will evaluate the feedback, applications and make recommendations in January 2021 to the Transportation Planning Committee.