ST. LOUIS — Funding in hand, the city is moving ahead with several projects to make it safer and more appealing to get around without a car, including a new Compton Avenue bridge, 2 miles of protected bicycle track on South Broadway and protected bike lanes along Tucker Boulevard downtown.
The three projects have been in the works for years and are largely funded with recently approved federal grants.
Far and away the largest project is the new Compton Avenue bridge from Chouteau Avenue to Highway 40 (Interstate 64), a $20 million project the city has planned for years.
Alderman Christine Ingrassia, who represents the area where the bridge is located, called it a “huge deal†and said the bridge has needed to be rebuilt for years.
“There have been a number of attempts to shore up this completely archaic infrastructure,†she said.
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The new bridge will include a two-way bicycle track and pedestrian sidewalks separated from vehicle traffic and is mostly funded with a $16 million federal grant, with the city covering the rest.
While a firm timeline will be dependent on project bids, construction — and detours — should start by the end of the year.
“The inconvenience will be rewarded 10-fold once the bridge is reopened,†Ingrassia said.
Also part of the infrastructure bill is a project to remove a lane of traffic from southbound Tucker Boulevard through downtown for the installation of a curbed, two-way bicycle track on the west side of the street from Washington Avenue south to Chouteau Avenue. New bus stop islands would be added.
“This is the way to do them,†Alderman Jack Coatar, who represents downtown, said of the bike lanes. “This provides actual curbing so it’s a real protected lane, it’s not just a little bollard in the street.â€
Narrowing Tucker Boulevard, which is eight traffic lanes in some spots downtown, was recommended in the Design Downtown STL Plan released in 2020, while the bike lanes on the thoroughfare were called for in . The $1.4 million project won a $1.2 million federal grant, with the city and downtown Community Improvement District providing the local match.
“We have more than enough lanes of traffic on Tucker,†Coatar said. “That whole stretch is pretty terrifying if you’re gonna try to ride a bike on that.â€
In south ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, a 2-mile stretch of South Broadway will also get a two-way protected bicycle track from the River Des Peres to Bellerive Park.
The pedestrian and bicycle-centric projects come as similar pedestrian-scale infrastructure projects move ahead, such as the Tower Grove Connector, which is scheduled to begin next year and will add protected bicycle lanes connecting Tower Grove Park and Forest Park Southeast. The region’s trail builders, Great Rivers Greenway, meanwhile, is moving ahead with planning efforts for a larger connector between downtown, Fairground Park and Forest Park known as the Brickline Greenway.
with bidding the projects will be heard in the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Board of Aldermen’s Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee Tuesday morning. It lists several partners on the projects, including MetroBus parent Bi-State Development, the city’s Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority, Great Rivers Greenway District and regional business group Greater ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, Inc.
Jason Hall, CEO of Greater ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, said the civic group is involved as a partner “to the public sector in this broader movement to better connect the city with pedestrian-scale urban transit.â€
Originally posted at 7:15 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31.
