Plans to build part of a north-south MetroLink expansion are on hold for now.
St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer has asked Bi-State Development, which oversees the region’s transit agency, to pause any work on the 5.6-mile expansion known as the Green Line.
Bi-State will be able to finish engineering and environmental review work that is currently underway. But it will not apply for any federal grants for construction until Spencer has gotten answers to questions about the project’s competitiveness for grants and long-term viability.
“I've had some concerns about that for some time now, just making sure that our proposal is competitive,” Spencer said Tuesday. “And then, of course, with the new federal administration, I think it's even more challenging to meet those requirements.”
The plans as written call for the Green Line to run at street level along Jefferson Avenue from Chippewa Street to Fairground Park, at a cost of $1.1 billion for the 5.6-mile stretch. The original concept stretched for about 17 miles.
“We're in a list of other very, very competitive projects, and the environment has gotten, as we all know, a lot a lot more challenging,” Spencer said. “I’m looking to make sure we have viability.”
Bi-State President and Chief Executive Officer Taulby Roach said such pauses are not uncommon when a new administration takes over at any level of government.
“I need Mayor Spencer’s help,” he said. “My job is to execute policy. It isn't to make policy. Policy is made by the electeds and by the constituents. And once I have an idea of what that is, then I move projects forward.”
Roach added that the proposed alignment is still competitive, with some built-in efficiencies that Spencer would not have had the chance or a reason to evaluate as a member of the Board of Aldermen.
Kim Cella, executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit, said it made sense to take the time to make sure the project meets current guidelines for federal funding, which have been changing almost daily.
She said she hoped the pause is not permanent.
“Our goal would be to see a project move forward,” she said. “We have dense neighborhoods on the south side where MetroLink service is a great asset, and we also have this regional investment of over $2 billion in the [National Geospatial Intelligence Agency].”
Voters in 2017 approved a half-cent sales tax and specifically directed 60% of the funds raised to MetroLink expansion. There is currently about $87 million available.
