Great Rivers Greenway announced in March that it was awarded $9.9 million in construction funds as part of a $3.3 billion federal infrastructure project.
Granted through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program, the funding will be used to enhance the Brickline Greenway by building a greenway bridge between I-64/40 decks at Spring Street — offering safer connections throughout a previously disconnected section of St. Louis.
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“People can really explore and connect to St. Louis in new ways,” says Great Rivers Greenway Vice President of Communications & Outreach Emma Klues. “If you have the ability to weave between all of these different destinations, you might happen upon something you might not have; you might stretch your day into something longer. That creates a different kind of vibrancy here in St. Louis.”
Located in the Midtown area of St. Louis City, the project spans from the edge of Saint Louis University’s campus at Laclede Avenue, south on Spring Street, and across Forest Park Avenue, past the City Foundry. Two sections of the anticipated 10-mile Brickline Greenway have already been completed while four additional are in the design phase. Construction on the bridge will take place in 2027 and 2028.
Great Rivers Greenway is a public agency dedicated to connecting people with the more than 135 miles of greenways in the region. Launched in 2016, the Brickline Greenway project is designed to connect St. Louis by foot, bike, wheelchair, stroller, and more. Each segment will feature bike racks, benches, public art, and more.
“The vision really is this vibrant, dynamic reconnection of the city to amplify everything that’s already here,” Klues says. “We do have these wonderful pockets here where people live and work and play. We want to bring them all together.”
Believe it or not, St. Louis did not always have highways running through its middle. This transformation—which began in the late 1930s and expanded after World War II—cut through previously lively neighborhoods, leading to a disconnection that still impacts locals. This project is intended to help bind the “pockets of vibrancy” that make up St. Louis.
Federal funding will cover half the cost of the bridge while the remainder will be paid for with local tax dollars and private gifts from donors such as the Berges Family Foundation. Both the City of St. Louis and the Missouri Department of Transportation are key partners in the project as well.
“We’re very lucky in St. Louis because the people voted to create our organization and a sales tax to fund that organization,” Klues says. “Our mission and vision come directly from the community. We’re very grateful that the people in St. Louis and the St. Louis region really value parks and trails.”
Although construction is still a few years away, Great Rivers Greenway remains hard at work bringing St. Louis together through the long-term, big-picture thinking that’s helped build the 135 miles of greenways already in the region.
“Creating connections like this is a huge opportunity for not only safety and basic transportation needs, but it’s also an opportunity for that vibrancy,” Klues concludes. “It connects major destinations like the City Foundry and Armory STL. Having these types of connections directly contributes to people’s safety and quality of life.”
