Designing the Cross-County Extension

The East-West Gateway Coordinating Council, in cooperation with its partner agencies, the Bi-State Development Agency and the Missouri Department of Transportation, has begun the next phase of planning for the Cross-County MetroLink Extension. During this phase, the Council and its consultants will work with communities along the proposed extension to prepare, test, and refine conceptual design and operating alternatives for the MetroLink line from the Forest Park Station to downtown Clayton and south to Maplewood and Shrewsbury.  A transportation system to serve Forest Park will also be designed.

Exploring Design Ideas & Alternatives

A range of issues and ideas related to MetroLink's extension in the Cross-County Corridor will be considered during the Conceptual Design Study.  The Council and its consultants will work closely with residents along the extension and throughout the region to explore questions regarding the conceptual design of the line, the line's profile, and the location and design of stations.  The look and location of the park-and-ride lots and bus loading and unloading zones will also be considered.

The information gathered from exploring these questions will assist in addressing issues such as the appropriateness of running trains in existing streets, at-grade but in a separate right-of-way, below-grade in a trench, or below grade in a tunnel.  Strategies to preserve and enhance the character and quality of neighborhoods and to attract development to other areas will also be analyzed. Throughout the process, the Council and its consultants will evaluate the effect of various design alternatives on surrounding neighborhoods and commercial districts.

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The Route From Forest Park to Clayton to Shrewsbury

The alignment under study branches off the existing MetroLink line at the Forest Park station following Millbrook Boulevard and Forest Park Parkway west through downtown Clayton to Shaw Park.  The route then turns south and follows the existing rail right-of-way to I-44 in Shrewsberry. This alignment, often referred to as the "North-of-Forest-Park" alignment, was selected by the Council in August 1997.

Community Involvement

Open, collaborative planning processes have proven successful in communities facing similar public decision-making challenges.  The lessons learned from these processes will guide the Cross-County MetroLink Extension. The Council's goal is to achieve a design that balances local and regional interests, improves community livability and economic vitality, and serves transit customers in an efficient, cost-effective manner.  Residents, property owners, businesses, system users and others with a stake in the outcome will be fully-engaged in the process.

During the process, public workshops, community issue forums, and community planning and design workshops will provide numerous opportunities for public involvement.  Each avenue will allow stakeholders the chance to review technical documents and analyses and to participate in the definition and review of design concepts.  At the workshops and forums, participants will also be able to share ideas and concerns not only with one another, but with the design and engagement consultants, and the region's public officials. Project newsletters, press announcements, advertisements as well as a project web site and hotline will be established to keep interested parties informed. The community engagement process begins early Fall 1998.

Study Management

The Council's Transportation Corridor Improvement Group (TCIG), comprised of staff from the Council, MoDOT, and Bi-State, will manage the study and direct the work of the engagement and design consultants.  A team of consultants led by Mary Means & Associates, Inc., a community planning firm based in Alexandria, VA, will manage the community engagement process.  Parsons Transportation Group, supported by a team of engineers, architects, planners, and specialists, will manage the conceptual design and environmental analysis processes.

Related Transportation Studies

While the Cross-County Conceptual Design Study is underway this fall, the Council will initiate Major Transportation Investment Analyses (MTIAs) in three important transportation corridors:

The Northside Corridor running north-south through the northern part of the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County;

The Southside Corridor running north-south through the southern part of the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County; and

The Daniel Boone Corridor running east-west in western St. Louis County.

During the MTA planning processes, the Council will work with communities in each corridor to identify transportation needs and explore a range of possible solutions.  Investments in highway and transit improvements, including potential extensions to MetroLink, will be among the improvements analyzed.

Planning for Cross-County MetroLink Extension

Plans for the extension of MetroLink in the Cross-County Corridor have been in the works for some time.  Here's a brief time line describing the history of planning for the extension.

Information on the Cross-County Study

The Council welcomes any questions or comments you may have. If you would like to obtain additional information or have your name added to the study mailing list, please call the study hotline at (314) 621-4499 or send an e-mail message to crosscounty@marymeans.com .

Additional comments may be addressed to the Council at (314) 421-4220 or Steven Schukraft, Engagement Team Manager for Mary Means & Associates, Inc., at (703) 684-2215.

Existing reports associated with the Cross-County Extension may be downloaded from the Council's web site at www.ewgateway.org, including the following:

• The Cross-County MetroLink Strategic Alignment Assessment
   
• The Cross-County MetroLink Segment I Business Plan
   
• The Situation Assessment and Engagement Strategies for the Cross-County Metro-Link Community Engagement Process.

In the Fall, the first newsletter will be published and additional information on the study will be posted on the Council's web site and available in public buildings and libraries throughout the study area