Project Overview

St. Charles County residents and stakeholders said that a new greenway linking the existing Dardenne Greenway at St. Charles Community College with the KATY Trail State Park should be a high priority project. This was identified through the St. Charles County Greenway Master Plan. Great Rivers Greenway is working with community members, local municipalities, and other stakeholders to plan this new greenway named for Baltic Creek that runs parallel to a large portion of this route.

Project Partners

• Great Rivers Greenway
• City of Cottleville
• City of St. Peters
• City of Weldon Spring
• Missouri State Parks

Current Status

Thank you to everyone who participated in planning for the Baltic Creek Greenway in 2022 and 2023. We have made new progress in the northernmost section of the greenway, nestled between the Dardenne Greenway and Hwy 364/94 in St. Peters and Cottleville.

Right now, we are working to understand the feasibility of a few alignments. This means that our designers are examining current site conditions, existing utilities such as electric poles, flooding, and more to determine where a greenway can safely be built and maintained. While we work to understand the feasibility of these possible alignments, we’d also like to get community feedback on the options. Please review the map below, and take a minute to complete our online survey here.

The map below shows the updated alignments (scroll down form more info about each alignment):

Alignment A connects to the Dardenne Greenway at the north end of the map and proceeds along the east side of the commercial area separated from Mid Rivers Mall Drive. South of Dye Club Drive, available space for the Alignment A path is limited. Options considered include a pedestrian bridge or a boardwalk until the path moves south of the new apartments. At Central School Road, the path would connect to St. Peters’ future multi-use path.

Alignment B option locates the path adjacent to Mid Rivers Mall Drive within the road right-of-way. The alignment connects to the Dardenne Greenway at the north end of the map and proceeds along the west side of Mid Rivers Mall Drive; finally connecting to St. Peters’ future multi-use path.

Alignment C option illustrates three possible connections at the north end of the map. Only ONE option would be chosen to complete the alignment. The options being considered include:
1) Connecting to the Dardenne Greenway using the existing Kountz Trail (dashed line).
2) Connecting to the Dardenne Greenway at the north end of the map and proceeding south along the west side of Mid Rivers Mall Drive until reaching the NORTH side of Cottleville Farm & Home (Refer to path labeled C2).
3) Connecting to the Dardenne Greenway at the north end of the map and proceeding south along the west side of Mid Rivers Mall Drive until reaching the SOUTH side of Cottleville Farm & Home Refer to path labeled C1).
The greenway would then proceed south behind the Schnucks commercial area and connect to St. Peters’ future multi-use path using Hwy N.

Tell us what you think! Take the survey now.

Read the Baltic Creek Master Plan Summary Report here. (Includes summary of engagement and planning to date, and overview for the next phase of planning and design.) This document summarizes the planning and engagement for 364 Baltic Creek and will serve as our plan for moving forward with the planning and design of the greenway.

Project Overview

This is the third of three projects that will close the gap between the northern and southern sections of the existing St. Vincent Greenway. The first two projects were completed in 2023.

Project Partners

• Great Rivers Greenway
• City of Pagedale
• St. Louis County Department of Transportation
• Beyond Housing
• Community Impact Network

Current Status

Thanks to the input and feedback from the Pagedale community, we identified the route for the greenway from the former Eskridge High School site to St. Charles Rock Road in 2019 and early 2020. We are working through the design phase to develop technical construction documents for construction to begin in 2025. This project has been awarded $5.25 million in federal funds and will be completed in partnership with St. Louis County Department of Transportation and Missouri Department of Transportation.

Project Overview

The goal of this project is to close the gap between the River des Peres and Mississippi Greenways near the River City Casino. When complete, it will not only link these two greenways but also the Gravois Greenway-creating nearly 24 connected miles to explore and enjoy.

Project Partners

• Great Rivers Greenway
• City of St. Louis
• St. Louis County

Current Status

The final half mile—between South Broadway and the northwest corner of the River City Casino— has been on hold for several years. There is a new plan to move forward.

After years of negotiations, Union Pacific Railroad, St. Louis County and Great Rivers Greenway had an agreement about access to Railroad property to make this long-awaited connection for the community. However, the railroad’s requirement for insurance is extremely cost-prohibitive. This insurance would cost you, the taxpayers, an additional $75,000 per year in perpetuity, plus any increases to that annual premium. GRG and St. Louis County take our job of stewarding your tax dollars very seriously and we do not believe paying this every single year is this is the best use of your investment.

With our partners’ and Board of Directors’ support, we are embarking on evaluating and planning a new route to make this critical connection, working with St. Louis County, St. Louis City and other collaborators. We understand and share the frustration with the years of delays on this small but mighty project, and we continue to work on finding a way forward to make it happen through another way. Stay tuned for updates on this project in spring 2025!

Project Overview

A portion of the Meramec Greenway in Unger Park has been closed as a result of repeated flooding. We are working with St. Louis County to rebuild the greenway in a location that is resilient to flooding conditions and make other enhancements within the park. When complete, the greenway in Unger Park will be connected to Fenton City Park, George Winter Park, and the walking/biking bridge over the Meramec River along I-44.

Project Location

Unger County Park in St. Louis County near Fenton, Missouri. The map to the right shows the recommended trail alignment and proposed amenity improvements to Unger Park based on feasibility studies and community input.

Project Partners

• Great Rivers Greenway
• St. Louis County

Project Status

During the next phase of this project, the technical team will be working to advance the park and greenway design from conceptual to final. Construction is anticipated in 2026-2027.

The new greenway improvements will:

• Be rebuilt in a location to reduce future flood damage.
• Provide connections to Fenton City Park, George Winter Park, Cassens Drive, and the walking/biking bridge over the Meramec River along 1-44.
• Include a nature trail on the north and east sides of the lake and scenic overlooks for viewing the Meramec River.
• Complement the existing disc golf course and provide access to the lake edge for recreation.
• Prioritize park visitor and greenway user safety through design with a higher visibility trailhead and parking built in a more central location within the park.

Project Overview

The U.S. Route 66 Bridge over the Meramec River in Route 66 State Park was built in 1931. It has a unique Warren Truss support structure (one of four in Missouri) and is in great disrepair. The bridge decking was removed in 2010 to help preserve the support structure by taking the weight off the aging truss. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), had plans to demolish the remaining bridge structure if a viable redevelopment plan was not established by the end of 2016.

Thanks to a collaborative effort from many stakeholders, Missouri State Parks owns the bridge and is working with Great Rivers Greenway to design the bridge.

Project Location

The U.S. Route 66 Bridge is located in the City of Eureka in St. Louis County. It is 1,008 feet long and connects two pieces of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Route 66 State Park.

Project Partners

• Missouri State Parks
• Missouri State Parks Foundation
• Great Rivers Greenway

Current Status

Development of construction documents and drawings are underway.

Project Timeline

• 2021: Missouri State Parks, Missouri State Parks Foundation and Great Rivers Greenway engaged a team of engineers to assess the bridge’s current conditions and develop a cost estimate and renderings for the plan to restore it for people walking and biking.
• 2021 (August): The consulting team presented their estimate to restore and refresh the bridge ($9 million) and renderings at the Route 66 State Park Annual Meeting.
• 2022: Feasibility study and cost estimates complete.
• 2023: Missouri State Parks and Great Rivers Greenway entered into cost share agreement for the development of construction drawings and documents. Missouri State Parks is the project manager; Great Rivers Greenway is the project partner. Construction will be funded by Missouri State Parks and Great Rivers Greenway.
• 2024/2025: Development of construction documents and drawings, underway now.
• 2026: Goal is to have the project complete for the Route 66 Centennial Anniversary in 2026.

Project Overview

The master plan for the seven mile Maline Greenway is an east-west link between the Mississippi Greenway (sometimes called the Riverfront Trail) and the St. Vincent Greenway in North St. Louis County. The first phase of the greenway was completed in 2019 in Bella Fontaine County Park (on the east side of Lewis & Clark Blvd. with an underpass to connect to west side of park). This project will extend the greenway on west side of Lewis & Clark Blvd. to West Florissant Avenue.

Project Partners

• Great Rivers Greenway
• City of Ferguson
• St. Louis County

Current Status

Planning has wrapped up! Thank you to everyone who shared their ideas and opinions about the future Maline Greenway. We received feedback from hundreds of neighbors between November 2022 and July 2023 to help finalize the route for this greenway. The final recommended route follows the utility corridor, providing a unique greenway experience and connecting area residents to parks, schools, transit, and community destinations. The development of design and construction documents kicked off in 2024 and will continue through 2025. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2026.

We want your feedback!

We are currently seeking your feedback to help drive the design of this new segment! If you live near the new greenway alignment, we want to know what amenities and safety features you would prefer to see on the greenway. Give us your feedback by completing this comment form. Please share with your neighbors!

Concept Renderings

The following images are conceptual renderings that were assembled during our planning phase. These are not the final trail designs but rather graphics to guide design conversation and envision the project area.

The new greenway will intersect with several neighborhood streets. This image shows what a greenway crossing over a neighborhood street could look like.

The new greenway will follow the utility corridor, passing through residential neighborhoods.

Project Overview

The master plan for the seven mile Maline Greenway is an east-west link between the Mississippi Greenway (sometimes called the Riverfront Trail) and the St. Vincent Greenway in North St. Louis County. The first phase of the greenway was completed in 2019 in Bella Fontaine County Park. This new phase will link the Ted Jones Trail to West Florissant Avenue through Ferguson. It will make it possible for people to connect to neighborhoods, businesses, schools and parks via a paved, accessible greenway rather than navigating a narrow roadway shoulder.

Project Location

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. From the Ted Jones Trail northern trailhead, the Maline Greenway will run eastward along Paul Ave and Elizabeth Ave before turning southeast on Ferguson Ave and connecting into Forestwood Park. The greenway winds through the southern side of the park and connects into the Lang-Royce neighborhood along Maline Creek before ending at a new trailhead located on West Florissant Ave.

Project Partners

• Great Rivers Greenway
• City of Ferguson
• Missouri Department of Transportation
• St. Louis County Department of Transportation

Current Status

The project was awarded $2 million in federal Surface Transportation Program funds in 2019 that will be used for constructing this long-awaited connection through Ferguson. The greenway design is complete and construction will begin later this year.

Project Overview

Great Rivers Greenway and the City of Webster Groves are partnering with community members to plan a small park at the intersection of Big Bend and Oxford Blvd. (near Deer Creek Shopping Center.) The park will include an extension of Deer Creek Greenway to fill the gap between the current endpoint of the trail and the 2025 Deer Creek Greenway extension through Maplewood to the River Des Peres Greenway. This park will:

• Connect Webster Groves to a regional trail network
• Beautify a gateway to the Webster Groves community
• Reduce flooding impacts by converting a vacant parking lot into a park

Project Location

Intersection of Big Bend and Oxford Blvd; this will be a part of future Deer Creek Greenway expansion from Deer Creek Shopping Center through Maplewood to connect to River des Peres Greenway.

Project Partners

• Great Rivers Greenway
• City of Webster Groves

Current Status

We have been working with the City of Webster Groves and community members to plan a new small park at the intersection of Big Bend and Oxford Blvd. (near Deer Creek Shopping Center.) Thanks to the 1000+ people who have helped shape the plans to date. Through a public survey conducted during Summer 2023, we heard that you want this new park to serve as a rest stop along the greenway and feature shade trees and native habitat. The design of the park was based on this shared vision.

Thanks to everyone who shared feedback about what we should name this new park! From the 130 suggestions received in Summer 2024, the project team and partners selected Oxford Bend Park as the official name of the new park. This name was selected as an homage to the cross streets in front of the park and will help park goers and greenway users more easily identify where they are. Construction on Oxford Bend Park is slated to begin in Summer 2025.

Project Overview

The goal of this project is to extend the Deer Creek Greenway from its current endpoint at Big Bend Blvd. to connect to the River des Peres Greenway at the intersection of Ellendale and Canterbury in the City of St. Louis. It will create a greenway connection between the cities of Brentwood, Webster Groves, Maplewood and St. Louis with connections to Deer Creek Shopping Center, the Maplewood business district, surrounding neighborhoods, multiple parks and the Shrewsbury Lansdowne MetroLink station.

Project Partners

• Great Rivers Greenway
• City of Maplewood
• City of Webster Groves
• City of St. Louis
• St. Louis County
• Union Pacific Railroad

Current Status

We are working with the community to design the greenway throughout 2020-2024. Partners have approved the project and it was awarded $3 million in federal funds from the 2022 Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) round of funding. Design and engineering will continue thru 2023-2024, easement acquisition in 2024 and greenway construction is anticipated for 2025-2026.

We are working with the City of Webster Groves to develop a small park at Big Bend and Oxford (formerly McDonalds) called Oxford Bend Park that will connect to the future Deer Creek Greenway through Maplewood. This will go into construction in 2025! You can learn more about the park here.