| St. Louis Five Year Consolidated Plan Strategy | |||||
| Chapter 2 |
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Infrastructure | Public/Social Services | Public Facilities | Quality of Life | Conclusion 
The City's centrality nationally makes it an important hub for waterway, railroad, airline, and truck traffic, both east-west and north-south. That centrality is one of St. Louis' key strengths, one which fuels its economic development and attractiveness to companies large and small. Within the region, the City of St. Louis is also centrally located and is blessed with an abundance of good It then continues west and north through the central corridor of the City to the campuses of St. Louis University, Washington University's Medical School, and the University of Missouri at St. Louis to Lambert Airport. The ridership on this line has far exceeded projections made before opening. By 1997, over 40,000 passengers per day used the line. This line, coupled with the rerouting of 1/3 of the bus routes to act as feeders to MetroLink, pushed overall public transit usage to over 50 million riders for the first time in decades. Over the next five years, Bi-State will open a new 17.4-mile segment from the present terminus in East St. Louis, IL, east to the main campus of Belleville Area College (BAC) in 2001. This will be followed by another almost 8-mile extension to the new Mid-America Airport at Scott Air Force Base in 2003 resulting in a 43-mile line connecting the regions two major airports. Both of these extensions will provide quick and easy access to the City's jobs, entertainment, institutions, and recreation facilities making the City the center focal point of the entire line. A second extension is also planned for completion by 2005. This extension is the first one in Missouri and will be 7.5 miles long extending from the present Forest Park Station at DeBaliviere Avenue in the City west to the St. Louis County government seat in Clayton. The line will then turn south along an abandoned railroad right-of-way and follow it to an interim terminus back in the southwestern part of the City at Lansdowne Avenue and River Des Peres Boulevard. This $404 million extension is funded entirely by monies from both the City's and St. Louis County's 1/2 cent sales tax for MetroLink. No federal or state funds will be used for this extension. Beyond this the City needs to proactively seek MetroLink extensions, both to the north and to the south. While long range in nature, the design and construction of these lines will be very important to Downtown and the City overall. Development, operation, and maintenance of the various infrastructure systems in the City fall either to specific City government departments, such as Streets, Parks, or the Board of Public Service, state departments, such as the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT), or private entities that manage local utilities, such as the Metropolitan Sewer District. In general, this structure provides for efficient operation of local utilities, although both public and private entities constantly are in need of additional revenues and resources to enact repairs and improvements. The aging of the infrastructure throughout the City is a prime concern to City officials and planners. The sewer system, for example, is well over 100-years-old in many parts of the City, presenting an immediate and costly need for replacement. One example of this can be found in Forest Park, where better than 25% of the total $86 million restoration cost is being allocated to replacing sewers beneath the park's grounds. Another example of an infrastructure problem was seen when large chunks of an Interstate 70 overpass just north of downtown began falling, requiring MODOT to accelerate plans to replace this section of roadway, at considerable cost to taxpayers and more than three years of hassle for commuters. Another major infrastructure priority is the need for a new bridge to carry I-70 over the Mississippi River. Currently, most east-west traffic into St. Louis comes across the Poplar Street Bridge, causing serious delays for commuters and those just passing through. A new bridge is planned just north of downtown, which will allow I-70 users to bypass downtown and free up bridge space for the nearly one-third of downtown workers who live in Illinois. Planning for this bridge is being carefully worked out between state and local officials to minimize the impact of this structure on near northside neighborhoods that lie in its shadow. Yet another major infrastructure project that will occupy much of the next ten years is expansion of the City-owned Lambert International Airport, one of the nation's ten busiest in terms of passengers served. This high activity has led the City's Airport Authority to annually make many improvements to the overall facility. Some of the more recent improvements have included the construction of the East Terminal to accommodate Southwest Airlines increased usage of Lambert; the addition of two MetroLink Stations which increase overall access to the airport and reduce parking demand by offering airport employees a dependable alternative to driving; and numerous airfield upgrades to the taxiways and runways to increase the capacity and safety of aircraft movement on the field. The Airport Commission has conducted studies of how Lambert could be best expanded to meet both present and future traffic demands. The result is a $1.3 billion expansion plan that would add a third east-west parallel runway, extend the main runway to approximately 13,000 feet, and add gates and revised and upgraded roadway systems for increased overall access to the airport. This plan was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration in 1998 and the Airport Authority is proceeding with implementing the W1-W Plan. If the original schedule is met, the new facilities will be in operation in 2006. WATER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS The major highlights for the Water System were the implementation of all four of its major projects that were identified by the Water Division of the St. Louis Department of Public Utilities in the 1994 St. Louis Consolidated Plan. In addition to these physical projects, the Division also continued compliance with both federal and state regulations for potable water systems. The Division has also retained its ability to be an "enterprise fund" operation; one that generates its own revenues and does not require general City funds. Challenges for the Water Division over the next few years include completing its list of cash financed capital improvements and obtaining other needed funds through bond issues. It should also ensure continued adherence to both federal and state regulations, continued assessments of user rates, and developing a user-friendly Interactive Voice Response phone system to better serve its customers. The Division will aggressively market its surplus water purification capacity to surrounding communities thereby providing more income for operation, maintenance, and capital improvements without greatly increasing present operating costs of purification. SEWER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS Within the City in the last five years, the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) has performed works totaling well over $59 million. MSD is working on projects totaling over $30.5 million in FY1999 and will start an estimated $369.4 million worth of projects within the next five years. The largest of these projects is the Lemay Overflow Regulation System. This project has two purposes: confining wastewater to the combined sewer running beneath the River Des Peres channel and providing a more reliable system of flood control within the River Des Peres watershed. Challenges facing MSD include:
STREET SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS The City's Street Department is responsible for the maintenance and reconstruction of 1,100 miles of streets, 1,050 of which are improved; 600 miles of alleys, all of which are improved; and 68 bridges and viaduct structures. The Department cleans the improved streets and removes ice and snow from 440 miles of major arterial and collector streets. In addition, the Department also maintains 55,000 feet (10.4 miles) of floodwall and levees. In August, 1993, voters passed a 1/2 cent sales tax dedicated to capital improvement projects within the City. The money raised by this tax became available in 1994 and permitted the City to leverage federal funds much more effectively, thereby making more total money available for capital street improvements. In the past five years, the Department has replaced the five key thoroughfare bridges and resurfaced approximately 90% of the downtown streets. The Department has also completed the reconstruction of North Kingshighway Boulevard from I-70 south to Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. This project is significant since this street is not only a major north-south arterial, but also one of the older divided and landscaped boulevards within the City that passes through mainly residential areas. Over the next five years, 12 more bridges are scheduled for replacement/rehabilitation and six major street reconstruction/widening projects are also planned. PORT IMPROVEMENTS The City's Port Authority mainly acts as a real estate agent as it in administers 65% of the 19.3 miles of Mississippi River frontage that is owned by the City. The Port Authority also leases to Beelman River Terminal the largest general cargo dock in the area, the City of St. Louis Municipal Dock, as a public terminal. The facility features 27 acres with two warehouses, rail and truck access, and two large docks for barge off/on loading. The Port Authority participates in any planning or building activity that impacts the riverfront. One example of this is the planned movement of the President Casino on the Admiral from its present location at the foot of Washington Street to a point north of the Dr. M. L. King Bridge. The Port Authority will build protective structures around the Admiral on the waterside as well as a plaza on the landside of the new location in order to ease guest access to the boat. It will also widen some of the streets in the area to provide better access overall to the area north of the Dr. M. L. King Bridge. These improvements will make that area of the riverfront more desirable for additional development. NON-CITY ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS The only major roadway improvements made in the City that are not completed by the Street Department are those done by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT). MODOT owns all of the interstate freeways' right-of-way within the City and is responsible for their construction, repair, and maintenance. MODOT is not responsible for other work on these streets other than the driving surface. The City must rebuild, repair, and maintain all curbs, drainage, bridges, signing, signals, etc. One of MODOT's major projects is the rebuilding of all the bridges along I-70 within the City. This project started in FY 1999 and will not be completed within the next five years due to the cost and the large number of bridges that will be replaced. Other major projects scheduled for the next five years include seismic retrofitting of several bridges along I-64/US 40, and grading and paving of the I-64 ramp connections to the 22nd Street Parkway. Also included is paving of four miles of Riverview Boulevard and 2.2 miles of Chippewa Street that are maintained by MODOT. While helpful, the state provides considerably less support for arterial roads in the City than is the case in most other counties. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS The Bi-State Development Agency operates the public transportation system for the region including the City. The City passed a 1/2 cent sales tax for the purpose of supporting the transit system in 1983 and another 1/2 cent sales tax in 1994 specifically for support of the MetroLink light rail system. Bi-State is purchasing new, quieter, less polluting buses which will be important to City neighborhoods that currently are impacted by noise and pollution. Each year, the agency struggles to come up with a budget that covers its operating costs. Predictable, adequate funding of public transportation will be a measure of future regional success. With the implementation of the three planned MetroLink extensions, the City will be at the center of a two-line, 50-mile light rail transit system connecting most of the region's business, educational, employment, and recreational attractions. The line has also produced some spin-off development of note in the downtown area. The first announced project is the redevelopment of the Cupples Station warehouses at the Stadium MetroLink Station west of Busch Memorial Stadium between 8th Street and Tucker Boulevard. The first phase of this redevelopment is a 220-room luxury Westin Hotel along with some mixed uses of office, loft residential, and retail in the easternmost block of the area. This development should open in 2001 with the following phases of office, retail, and loft residential scheduled for completion in 2003 - 2004 depending on market conditions. Another major public transportation improvement scheduled to open in the next five years is the Multi-Modal St. Louis Gateway Transportation Station. This facility is located between 14th and 16th Streets under the I-64/US 40 viaduct along the south side of downtown. It will eliminate the present Amtrak Station. The new facility will provide a single location for the interface of all ground modes of transportation in the region: private vehicles, taxis, Bi-State local bus service, intra- and interstate bus service, and MetroLink light rail service. Also included is Amtrak inter-city rail passenger service, including the planned high speed connection with Chicago, and future commuter rail should such a system be started. This project is funded through a variety of federal, state, and local sources with the opening planned for 2002 - 2005. | |||||
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TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
roads that provide access to jobs, entertainment, and residential neighborhoods. The recent addition of a light rail system, MetroLink, has further improved access to Downtown St. Louis and reinforced this area's role as the core of the region. This 18-mile line runs from East St. Louis, IL, west across the Mississippi River on the second deck of the Eads' Bridge and then through a mile-long tunnel under downtown.
