Forest Park Connector design presented to St. Louis residents

Great Rivers Greenway presented the design for the Forest Park Connector to the public Thursday night.

The route will run from the Cortex MetroLink station to Forest Park. It is one of the final segments needed to link the park with downtown and the Arch Grounds. Emma Klues, vice president of communications and outreach for Great Rivers Greenway, said the team is presenting the current plan to gather community input. The design includes modifications to a major intersection near the MetroLink station and a new rest area in a small park before Kingshighway.

The project is part of the larger Brickline Greenway initiative. Klues stated that the organization is working with Forest Park, the City of St. Louis, BJC, and Washington University Medicine on this segment. The full greenway is intended to connect Forest Park to the Gateway Arch, Fairground Park, and Tower Grove Park. Klues noted that the plan covers 14 different neighborhoods and aims to provide safe options for walking, biking, and using public transit.

Residents at the public meeting shared their views on the proposed route. Vladimir Sukhov, a cyclist, said he enjoys riding in Forest Park but wants better infrastructure on city streets. He suggested that dedicated bike lanes would improve safety for people traveling through areas like the Central West End. Janet Newcomb said more connections are needed in the city, particularly at the Archgrounds and the riverfront. She noted that existing greenways in other areas have helped bring communities together.

Steven Foelsch, a public policy advisor at the Starkloff Disability Institute, described the greenway as a source of freedom and safety. He said the existing sections allow him to travel without crossing busy streets. He took the MetroLink from downtown and cycled through Forest Park, noting that the new path would remove the feeling of peril associated with riding on roads with heavy traffic.

Construction on the Forest Park Connector is scheduled to start in 2028. The project has a budget of $6 million. Currently, one mile and a quarter of the Brickline Greenway is built. Another 1.3 miles are under construction. Work on the section of Spring between Lindell and Page is set to begin soon. The remaining seven miles are in the planning and design phase. The total cost of the full Brickline Greenway project is approximately $245 million.

The goal is to have all pieces of the Brickline Greenway connected by 2030.