Art courtesy of CityArchRiver 2015
A couple of habits to break: The green space that will connect downtown and the Old Courthouse to the Gateway Arch and the riverfront, as part of the CityArchRiver 2015 project, is no longer being referred to by officials as “the lid,” and the highway that it will cover is no longer Interstate 70. It’s now a northern extension of Interstate 44. MoDOT plans to have the park structure completed by the end of this year, so the overall project can be finished by October 2015, the Arch’s 50th anniversary. “This is such a great opportunity for the city of St. Louis to really change the landscape of the downtown area,” says Deanna Venker, MoDOT’s St. Louis city area engineer. “Any patrons coming to the Arch grounds, they won’t have to cross through traffic. They won’t have to worry about their kids darting out into the streets. It’s a nice improvement.”
Helping Hands
The renovation of the Arch grounds is a testament to public-private partnerships, with contributions from the CityArchRiver 2015 Foundation, MoDOT, the National Park Service, Great Rivers Greenway, the city of St. Louis, and other organizations that hopefully won’t be too offended by their omission.
Additional Amenities
Beyond just the park, the CityArchRiver 2015 plan calls for a sprucing-up of the Old Courthouse, a complete overhaul of the underground museum, and a reworking of the landscaping and paths to make the riverfront more accessible. That’s a change you’ll appreciate if you’ve ever tried to take a wheelchair down the Grand Staircase.
