Pedestrian access into Forest Park from the Central West End will look a little different for the time being.
The City of St. Louis announced Tuesday that it will have to demolish the pedestrian bridge across Forest Park Parkway that enters the park from West Pine Avenue. A vehicle recently hit the bridge, and engineering studies determined the span was too badly damaged to fix. The bridge has a clearance of just 14½ feet, and a spokesman for the nonprofit that helps manage the park said it is not the first time it has been hit.
The city is scheduled to take down the bridge this weekend. The parkway will be closed westbound from Kingshighway Boulevard to DeBaliviere Place and eastbound from Union Avenue to Kingshighway.
Pedestrians can get into the park using the Grand Drive overpass by the fish hatchery or from Kingshighway near Steinberg Rink. The city said it will work with Forest Park Forever in the future to look at pedestrian access to the park in that area.
