Construction has begun on a nearly two-mile pedestrian and bike path that will connect the Cortex Innovation District to Tower Grove Park.
It will connect south side destinations such as the park and the Botanical Garden to the Brickline Greenway project, a planned citywide trail that travels 10 miles through more than a dozen neighborhoods.
The connector's first phase will rework 1.4 miles of road between Vandeventer Avenue and Tower Grove Park, repaving Tower Grove Avenue and installing new protected bike lanes and pedestrian paths.
The second phase will build a shorter segment along Sarah Street north of Vandeventer Avenue.
The project “represents exactly the bold kind of infrastructure that our city needs,” said Cindy Mense, CEO of TrailNet, an active transit nonprofit, during a kickoff event Monday at the Botanical Garden. “This project is a product of years of listening to residents, working with neighborhoods, and bringing partners together.”
Around $9 million in funding for the project comes from federal construction grants through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program, according to the project's official website.
The City of St. Louis and local funders and investors also provided money to build the connector.
The Brickline Greenway project is a plan to create a pedestrian connection running east to west between Forest Park and Gateway Arch National Park, as well as north to south between Fairground Park and Tower Grove Park.
The Great Rivers Greenway, a public agency, is spearheading the $245 million Brickline project. The agency has already completed segments of the Brickline near the Cortex and Energizer Park in Downtown West.
Renderings of the Tower Grove Connector show a two-lane cycle track separated from the flow of traffic with grass, concrete blocks, pavers and other buffers. A sidewalk for walkers and runners runs parallel to the biking lanes.
Construction will also revamp the five-way intersection at Vandeventer and Tower Grove, making it safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Other plans include synchronizing signals along the route to the city’s traffic management center to reduce congestion.
For years, the bike lanes on Tower Grove Avenue have been on the inside of the street. Because they are not separated from the road, some bicyclists may not feel safe and avoid riding in them, said T. Christopher Peoples, equity and economic impact director at the Great Rivers Greenway.
“There'll be a clear designation and separation of the vehicular traffic from the bike and pedestrian traffic,” Peoples said. “So that'll be the No. 1 thing you'll see is that there'll be that buffer between the cyclists and the vehicles on the road.”
Another reason people haven’t wanted to bike the stretch of road on Tower Grove Avenue is the rough state of the pavement, said 6th Ward Alderwoman Daniela Velazquez.
“I think people have been ready for this road to be repaved for years,” she said. “And certainly cyclists have been looking for a clearer, safer path to move through the city. And I think this project provides both.”
Neighborhood resident Jay Diamond says he’s careful when he uses the bike lane near the Botanical Garden.
“Tower Grove, the stretch from Magnolia to Shaw, can be really bumpy for a cyclist when you're in the right lane heading north. And the dedicated bike lane there is not well-maintained,” he said. “So this is a welcome complete renovation.”
Diamond said he hopes cyclists, pedestrians and motorists will educate themselves on the rules of the road and how to share the street safely.
Other residents said they wish that the Greenway will consider using permeable pavement and other environmentally friendly materials to build the lanes.
