100 Miles of New & Upgraded Bike Routes in St. Louis City
Bike St. Louis Phase III implementation begins this week! Phase III includes 40 miles of new bike routes and upgrades to 60 miles of existing bike routes in St. Louis City. This project started with the Gateway Bike Plan in 2009, an intensive 16-month process to plan future bike routes throughout the three county metropolitan region in Missouri.
Trailnet was 1 of 15 stakeholder groups that participated on the Phase III Advisory Committee hosted by Great Rivers Greenway District. We surveyed our members in Fall 2013 to define problem areas and priority locations for bicycling, and received almost 900 responses. We then rode the problem areas with advocates and elected officials to seek out creative solutions, and used this feedback to advocate for high quality infrastructure.
Types of bike routes
Our goal is Streets for Everyone – safe and continuous routes that connect residents to jobs, schools, parks and other major destinations, regardless of age or ability. Trailnet advocated for high-quality, family-friendly routes throughout the planning process. Click here for a map and listing of new and upgraded routes.
Funding
Phase III is a $1.4 million project, primarily funded with federal transportation dollars. A local match was provided by Great Rivers Greenway District and St. Louis City with existing sales tax revenue. Any municipality is able to apply for federal funds for projects like Phase III. East West Gateway is currently taking comments for the 2015 funding cycle.
Stay tuned for more details! We’ll be following the street crews and posting pictures of the new routes on social media and look forward to hearing your feedback. Please post your pics to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – let’s celebrate this investment in bicycling!