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 Location:
This project will extend the River des Peres Greenway from its current endpoint at South Broadway to the Mississippi Greenway’s current endpoint on the northwest corner of the casino property. It will be built parallel to the north side of River City Casino Blvd.
Project Partners:
Great Rivers Greenway
City of St. Louis
St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District
Project Status
The final half mile—between South Broadway and the northwest corner of the River City Casino— 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!
ABOUT THIS PLACE
Did you know that this section of the River des Peres Greenway will connect to regionally significant places such as the confluence of the River des Peres and Mississippi River? What stories do you know about this place? Share them at www.GreatRiversGreenway.org/ShareYourStory or by calling 314-932-4904.
The River des Peres was created during the Ice Age. A wall of rock and ice blocked the Mississippi River and forced the water to carve out a new path. This path formed the River des Peres.
In the 1600s, the Kaskaskia and Tamaroa people settled along the River des Peres. Just a few years later, a few Jesuit priests built a mission where the River des Peres meets the Mississippi River. 2,400 Native Americans and 100 French Americans lived there. The mission existed for only three years, but the name remains today. The River des Peres is French for “river of the fathers” who were the French priests.
Throughout most of the nineteenth century, the River des Peres remained a curving stream weaving through prairies and wooded areas. The wetlands along the river filtered and purified the water. By the end of the 1800s, neighbors were dumping their raw waste directly into the river. In 1923, voters in St. Louis approved a bond to reroute, straighten, deepen, and line the river with concrete. That’s how the river has remained for nearly a century. It plays an important role in the city’s sanitary and stormwater systems.