Open House 10.12.16 RIVER DES PERES GREENWAY: LANSDOWNE SHREWSBURY METROLINK TO FRANCIS R. SLAY PARK
MEETING AGENDA Great Rivers Greenway and Project Partners River des Peres Greenway Overview Project Details Feedback Landscaping Construction Staging Timeline Q & A GREAT RIVERS GREENWAY TITLE GOES HERE 1
MEET US: GREAT RIVERS GREENWAY Regional parks & trails district St. Louis City St. Louis County St. Charles County Steward of the taxpayers legacy & investment Partner in the CityArchRiver transformation
VISION FOR THE ST. LOUIS REGION: a dynamic network of greenways connecting our communities strengthening the social, economic and environmental well-being of our region.
GREENWAYS CONNECT OUR REGION LIVE LIFE OUTSIDE GREAT RIVERS GREENWAY TITLE GOES HERE 4
5% premium to the market value of homes neighboring greenways The Economic Benefits of Great Rivers Greenway Report and Fact Sheet available online at https://www.tpl.org/economic-benefits-great-rivers-greenway-report-and-fact-sheet
1,200 square miles 16 greenways 54 projects 167collaborative partners 113 miles of greenway 2 million visits/year 1,600 acres connecting 38,000 acres of public lands
MEET THE PROJECT: RIVER DES PERES GREENWAY GREAT RIVERS GREENWAY TITLE GOES HERE 15
REGIONAL CONNECTIONS Deer Creek Park Forest Park Maplewood MetroLink & MetroBus Kirkwood River des Peres Greenway Francis R. Slay Park Jefferson Barracks Grant s Trail Grant s Farm Clydesdale Park The Pavilion at Lemay Carondelet Park Current Project Existing Greenway Future Greenway Mississippi Greenway River City Casino
RIVER DES PERES GREENWAY HISTORY 1999: River des Peres Environmental Restoration Reconnaissance Study completed 2005: Phase I opens (Gravois to Morganford) 2008: Phase II opens (Morganford to I-55) 2013: Phase III opens (I-55 to Alabama Ave) Under Construction: Phase IV (Alabama to River City Casino) opens in 2017! 2014: Phase V opens (Gravois to Lansdowne)
PHASE VI PROJECT HISTORY 2012-2013: Wellington Bridge Construction 2013: Phase VI alignment review 2014: Applied for $1.5 million in Federal transportation funds 2015: 1 st Lansdowne Shrewsbury MetroLink to Francis R. Slay Park Open House 2016: 2 nd and 3 rd Lansdowne Shrewsbury MetroLink to Francis R. Slay Park Open Houses
PROJECT PARTNERS City of St. Louis (property owner, operations & maintenance) Missouri Department of Transportation (property owner, operations and maintenance on I-44 Bridge & administer federal grant) St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District (property owner, permitting & utility coordination) East-West Gateway Council of Governments (award federal funding) Bi-State Development Agency (provide location for bicycle parking) Great Rivers Greenway (project management & funding)
PROJECT GOALS Connections to:» River des Peres» MetroLink & MetroBus» Residential Neighborhoods» Business Districts Exercise, socialize, and learn about history, culture and nature Calm vehicle traffic to increase safety Manage stormwater Improve ADA accessibility Provide Eyes along the route Provide native landscape Expand transportation options Access to parks, open space and recreational amenities» Francis R. Slay Park» River des Peres Park and Fultz Field» Willmore Park» Lemay Park» Carondelet Park
WHAT WE HEARD AT THE SPRING 2016 PROJECT OPEN HOUSE Very excited to see this in my neighborhood! I think extending the greenway by reducing vehicular traffic on Wabash/McCausland is a horrible idea. I m really excited that the greenway is being extended to us. I can t wait until it goes all the way to Forest Park too! The single lane on Ellendale and Wabash will cause unacceptable negative impacts. Love the new project. The quieting effect it will have on Ellendale and Wabash is much needed.
WHAT WE HEARD Why can t the trail go along the River des Peres?» Trail cannot go along the riverbank due to safety, structural and logistical reasons.» Constricted right-of way north of Lansdowne towards I-44, the route would need right-ofway acquisition.» The slope is not stable, (between Tholozan and Mardel in particular) and would need extensive restoration» Existing utilities are a challenge because of high voltage transmission lines overhead. Can we enhance on-street bike routes?» Bike St. Louis signage and on-street striping on Lansdowne will remain» Bikes May Use Full Lane signs will be added on Wabash and Ellendale» Wabash will be striped so that people riding bicycles on the street can pull over to let people driving cars pass
WHAT WE HEARD Eliminating a southbound lane will cause problems for people driving cars» Lane removal will reduce dangerous speeding behaviors on Wabash and Ellendale» Average daily traffic volume on Wabash/Ellendale is 9,200-13,800 vehicles 4 lane roadways with fewer than 20,000 vehicles per day are good candidates for lane removal Turning left on Lindenwood from southbound Wabash will be difficult» Southbound traffic turning left can pull into spaces to make the turn» Additional left turn spaces will be created on Wabash for the other streets
TRAFFIC STUDY Initial Traffic Counts and Study Completed in 2013 Second Traffic Study Completed in 2016 3 Possible Configurations Studied: >>> Current 4 lane configuration >>> 1 northbound lane, 1 southbound lane and 1 two way left turn lane >>> 2 northbound lanes and 1 southbound lane
Daily Traffic Counts McCausland at I-64 23,650 vehicles per day McCausland at Arsenal 18,700 vehicles per day Ellendale at Esplanade 9,000 to 13,500 vpd Wabash at Lindenwood 9,200 to 13,800 vpd
TRAFFIC STUDY Existing traffic projected on Ellendale in Peak Hours
TRAFFIC STUDY Existing Vehicular Traffic Exceeds Speed Limit 85 th Speed Percentile = 40 mph
TRAFFIC STUDY Traffic Count Results
TRAFFIC STUDY Traffic Study Results on Wabash
TRAFFIC STUDY Traffic Study Results on Ellendale
TRAFFIC STUDY Lindenwood and Wabash Intersection studied for a traffic signal
Widen and fix sidewalks ADA compliance No impacts to traffic Maximize parking More signalized intersections than Wabash & Ellendale Before SIMILAR ROADWAY CHANGES MANCHESTER AVE. (KINGSHIGHWAY TO VANDEVENTER) After
Cross Section Vehicle traffic patterns do not change Walking and bicycling path widened along north side of bridge; barrier separates path and travel lane Lansdowne traffic signals and crosswalks improved at River des Peres Blvd. and Wabash Ave. Tie into Metro Station and existing River des Peres Greenway Bicycle parking added at Metro Station Seal coat road surface and install bicycle may use full lane signs SECTION A LANSDOWNE AVE. (METRO STATION TO WABASH AVE.)
Cross Section No parking lost; widened lane to 8 ; right edge striped to denote parking Eliminate one southbound travel lane on Wabash Widen path along west side of Wabash to 10 and relocate utility poles for ADA access Improve curb ramps for ADA compliance at each intersection Add trail stop signs at street intersections Add a landscaped median that includes space for left turns New pavement and seal coat road surface SECTION B WABASH AVE. (LANSDOWNE AVE. TO LINDENWOOD PL.)
Cross Section Existing no parking to remain Eliminate one southbound travel lane on Wabash Widen path along west side of Wabash to 10 and relocate utility poles for ADA access Improve curb ramps for ADA compliance at each intersection Add trail stop signs at street intersections Landscaped median to match the new median south of Lindenwood Add mid-block pedestrian crossing between Lindenwood and Mardel New pavement and seal coat road surface SECTION C WABASH AVE. (LINDENWOOD PL. TO I-44 UNDERPASS)
Cross Section Existing no parking to remain Eliminate one southbound travel lane on Wellington Add dual path along west side of Wellington Replace sidewalk along east side of Wellington Use existing Wellington Bridge path Add lighting under I-44, paint columns Work with volunteers to sweep gravel under I-44 New pavement and seal coat road surface SECTION D Interstate 44 UNDERPASS
Cross Section Existing no parking to remain Eliminate one southbound travel lane on Ellendale Add new 10 wide path with tree lawn along west side of Ellendale Add curb ramps for ADA compliance at each intersection Add trail stop signs at street intersections Reconstructed concrete medians Raise street crossings for people walking and bicycling across Piccadilly Ave. and Manhattan Ave. Street closures with emergency and pedestrian/bicycle access only at St. James Sq. and Leamington Ave. New pavement and seal coat road surface Road/Greenway intersection sign SECTION E ELLENDALE AVE. (I-44 UNDERPASS TO LEAMINGTON AVE.)
Add left turn lane into BNSF Railroad Facility from southbound Ellendale Existing left turn lane for Wellington Court to remain SECTION E ELLENDALE AVE. (I-44 UNDERPASS TO LEAMINGTON AVE.)
Cross Section Existing no parking to remain Eliminate one southbound travel lane on Ellendale Add 10 wide path along west side of Ellendale with improved curb ramps for ADA compliance Add trail stop signs at street intersections Reconstructed concrete medians Raise street crossing for people walking and bicycling across Esplanade St. Street closure with emergency and pedestrian/bicycle access only at Tremont Ave. New pavement and seal coat road surface SECTION F ELLENDALE AVE. (LEAMINGTON AVE. TO CANTERBURY AVE.)
Modify Canterbury/McCausland traffic signal and add crosswalks to tie into new City Trail Create trailhead at Francis R. Slay Park with benches, waste receptacles, and trees Future connection to Deer Creek Greenway and Forest Park GREAT RIVERS GREENWAY TITLE GOES HERE 40
River Monster Public Art Chippewa Bridge POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITIES
LANDSCAPING Location # of Trees Added # of Trees Removed Trees cannot be planted over existing utilities so many will be planted in parks and tree lawn Wide, grassy medians help to filter pollutants and manage stormwater runoff Grass and tress will be planted (no shrubs) so lines of sight will remain good Remaining trees protected during construction Additional plantings at key spots» South side of Lansdowne/Wabash intersection» Francis R. Slay Park Trailhead» Triangle between Ellendale, McCausland and Arsenal» Tree lawn where utilities are not an issue Tree Lawn 25 13 Median 4 12 Parks 10 0 Total 39 25
CONSTRUCTION STAGING Vehicle travel in both directions at all times during project construction Driveways and streets constructed half side at a time to stay open for residents and property owners Pedestrian access to be maintained with minimal detours Parking on Wabash will be intermitted as construction progresses Parking available on side streets during construction Construction timeline March-December 2017» Phased construction» Communication with residents, property owners, City Aldermen and staff» Great Rivers Greenway will keep everyone informed during the entire project
PROJECT TIMELINE Fall 2016: City of St. Louis, St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District, and Missouri Department of Transportation approvals November 2016: Construction bidding January 2017: Construction bid presented to Great Rivers Greenway Board of Directors for approval March 2017: Break ground December 2017: Anticipated completion GREAT RIVERS GREENWAY TITLE GOES HERE 44
Q u e s t i o n s? Todd Antoine Director of Planning and Projects tantoine@grgstl.org 314-932-4903 Elizabeth Simons Community Program Manager esimons@grgstl.org 314-932-4904