| St. Louis Five Year Consolidated Plan Strategy | |
| Issue Analysis Essay - Infrastructure and Transportation | |
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INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION
This topic is one that includes a variety of more detailed items under each of the general headings of Infrastructure and Transportation. Under the heading of Infrastructure, the following specific topics will be addressed:
Under the heading of Transportation, the following specific topics will be addressed:
INFRASTRUCTURE Water System The major highlights for the Water System were the implementation of all four 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 will include completing its list of fee-financed capital improvements and obtaining other needed funds through bond issues. It should also insure 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 could also aggressively market its surplus water purification capacity to surrounding communities thereby providing additional income for operation, maintenance, and capital improvements without greatly increasing present operating costs of purification. Sewer System Within the City of St. Louis, the Metropolitan Sewer District of St. Louis (MSD) provides both the wastewater and stormwater sewer systems. The District was created in 1954 to provide these systems to the City and the more densely populated areas of St. Louis County, generally those areas geographically adjacent to the City. In 1977, voters approved an expansion of the District to include areas in the lower Missouri River and lower Meramec River Watersheds. The city uses two of the 13-wastewater treatment plants operated by MSD. These two plants include the Bissell Point Plant at 10 East Grand Avenue in the City and the Lemay Plant at 201 Hoffmeister Avenue in St. Louis County adjacent to the south St. Louis City Limits at the confluence of the River Des Peres and the Mississippi River. Over the past five years, the greatest challenge that MSD faced was the impact of the Great Flood of 1993 on its operation. After the flood, MSD realized that it must improve both the wastewater and stormwater sewer systems, the treatment process and facilities, and attempt to determine how another great flood would affect the region. Within the City in the last five years, MSD has performed works totaling well over $59 million, is working on projects totaling over $30.5 million in FY 1999, 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 (ORS). 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. Since its inception, $143.8 million has been spent on the ORS project, another $17.5 will be spent in FY1999, and another $24.2 million will be needed to complete the project within the next five years. Most of this project's $185.5 million will be spent within the City with only the two ends of the project located in St. Louis County. Another major challenge for MSD is to develop a more equitable source of revenue through using an impervious land measurement as the basis for the tax rate. Such a tax could be levied on a property's impervious surface. The resulting tax rate would be related to the amount of the property's impervious surface; for example, the higher the runoff of water, the higher the tax on the property. Should voters approve such a tax, most, if not all, of the present property tax levied by MSD would be eliminated. Other challenges facing MSD include:
Street System 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 (2.9 miles) of floodwall and levees. The three Sections of the Department; the Street Maintenance Section, the Bridge Maintenance Section, and the Street Cleaning Section handle these responsibilities. 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. Over the past five years, the Department has replaced the South Kingshighway Boulevard, Arsenal Street, Morganford Road, Natural Bridge Avenue, and Alabama Avenue 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, the Department will continue to maximize its local funds through using federal programs, ISTEA and TEA-21, for improvement projects. (Some of the projects will use money from the now-ended ISTEA Program since they were submitted for assistance under that federal program) Several bridges are scheduled for replacement/rehabilitation within this time period including the following:
Major street reconstruction/widening projects include:
Probably the biggest challenge facing the Street Department is the City's funding process and the setting of priorities for street resurfacing. At the present time, the budget for street resurfacing is allocated to Aldermen in each of the City's 28 Wards. Since Aldermen want to be responsive to their constituency, especially their residential voting constituency, the vast majority of the street resurfacing funds is used on residential streets and alleys. Little, if any, of these funds are used on arterial streets, which carry the majority of the City's traffic volumes after the state-owned interstate freeways? This policy should be reconsidered. A suggested revised policy would use a ranking system to prioritize the actual street resurfacing needs regardless of where the street is located. The reason for the change is that the present policy shortchanges not only the City's residents who use the arterial street system, but also non-City residents and visitors who pay the City's 1/2 cent Capital Improvements Sales Tax. These individuals are paying for the use of streets that are not being maintained and/or rebuilt in an equitable manner. As long as the City receives approximately $1 million per year from this tax, it should use that money to maintain and upgrade the streets that are most used by not only City residents but also City visitors. Other challenges that the Street Department faces include:
Sidewalk System The Street Department operates a 50/50 sidewalk program in which about one-half of the cost to replace sidewalk slabs are borne by the City. In actuality, the cost of sidewalk repair and replacement is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner. However, the City will absorb costs for curb maintenance and repair, tree root removal of City-planted trees, and other anomalies associated with a particular sidewalk project. In all, the City is reimbursed about 35 cents for each dollar it spends. As time passes and the City is able to obtain more federal money for street projects, consideration should be given to taking over the responsibility of maintaining the sidewalks. Such a program would be of great assistance to poor property owners who cannot afford their share of the sidewalk project's cost and the visual aspects associated with broken and cracked sidewalks would be lessened, if not eliminated. Flood Plain Improvements The City controls its flood plain of the Mississippi River through zoning laws and use agreements or leases with private corporations. The US Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining the shipping channel, dams, and locks that allow shipping and some recreational uses of the River. The Corps is also responsible for mitigating flooding of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers by reducing the risks of flooding within the flood plain. To that end, the Corps built the floodwall that lines much of the City's riverfront. However, the City is responsible for the maintenance of the floodwall. MSD is responsible for the other floodplain areas within the City. These areas are identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Changes in the flood zones are made periodically by FEMA and the agency then contacts property owners in these revised areas by telephone. MSD's efforts are described in the Sewer System section of this chapter. After the 1993 Flood, the City was able to use a buyout program to purchase and demolish about 170 residences and 10 businesses that had been inundated by floodwaters. The property purchased in these buyout programs is usually turned into some type of recreational or open space land use that is not harmed by flooding to the extent residential and commercial land uses are. The Corps is performing two studies dealing with flooding within the City. The first examines the integrity of the existing flood protection/flood control system and identifies needed improvements. The second examines the feasibility of increasing flood protection along the River Des Peres from Virginia Avenue upstream, or west, to Morganford Road. There are also several efforts taking place to make the City's riverfront more accessible to people through turning some of the floodplain areas into hiking and biking trails, small parks, and other appropriate recreational uses. One of the largest efforts is to link the riverfront at the Gateway Arch grounds to the City's downtown core business and entertainment areas as called for by the recently completed DowntownNow! Redevelopment Action Plan. The major challenges facing the City, the Corps, and MSD include:
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 also participates in any planning or building activity that impacts the riverfront through financial participation and/or staff involvement in developing plans and programs for any part of the riverfront. One example 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. The Port Authority is funded through lease revenue it receives from land and buildings it owns. No general revenue from the City is used to operate the Port Authority. Airport Improvements Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is consistently ranked each year among the ten busiest airports in the nation 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 following:
While all of these improvements have helped increase Lambert's overall capacity and safety, the airport continues to experience some of the highest aircraft delay times of any of the ten busiest airports in the nation. With this in mind, the Airport Commission conducted a study of how Lambert could be best expanded to meet not only the present traffic demand but also the demand forecasted for the future. The result of this study was the selection of the W-1W Option for expansion of the airport. This $2.6 billion plan would add a third east-west parallel runway southwest of the present airport property. The main runway would also be extended to approximately 13,000 feet to permit nonstop flights to the Pacific Rim nations from Lambert. Other improvements include added 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 has proceeded with implementing the W-1W Plan. Two nearby communities, the cities of Bridgeton immediately west of Lambert in St. Louis County and St. Charles west of the airport and the Missouri River in St. Charles County, have filed lawsuits to have the FAA's approval overturned. The reasons used by these two communities range from lack of proper analysis of aircraft movements to infringement on local zoning to fear of potentially increased noise. While the suits are working their way through the court system, the Airport Authority is proceeding with implementing the selected and approved plan. If the original schedule is met, the new facilities will be in operation in 2006. TRANSPORTATION This section of the chapter discusses two areas of physical improvements that are not under the total control of the City. As mentioned previously, these improvements include:
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 (ROW) within the City and is responsible for their construction, repair, and maintenance. MoDOT also maintains the driving surface only of the following major City streets:
MoDOT is not responsible for any other work on these streets other than the driving surface. The City must rebuild, repair, and maintain all curbs, drainage, bridges, signing, signals, etc. While this arrangement may appear limited compared to MoDOT's ownership of ROW as well as the roadways in all the counties of the state, it is much improved over the original agreement the City had with the state. That agreement covered only the interstate freeways and a small portion of the driving surface of Chippewa Street from the City Limits east to Brannon Avenue, two blocks west of Kingshighway Boulevard. While the present agreement does not have the same conditions as those in the counties, it does relieve the City of a significant burden of paving several of it major streets. The present agreement with MoDOT also allows the City to maintain ownership and control over the street ROW. If MoDOT assumed total responsibility, including ROW ownership, for various City streets, there is a good possibility that MoDOT would use its own design standards for these streets. This could result in a change in the present visual image of many streets and the elimination of such City-type design as granite curbs, tree lawns, and no shoulders. Any modification to the present agreement with MoDOT must take these types of factors into account. Over the past five years, MoDOT has been doing the normal repair work required on the interstate freeways along with several major rebuilding jobs. One of the largest is the rebuilding of the I-70 Bridge overpass at the north edge of downtown. This project has taken several years and should be completed in early FY 2000. Another major project 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, grading and paving of the I-64 ramp connections to the 22nd Street Parkway, and the initial purchase of ROW for the total rebuilding of I-64/US 40 from Kingshighway Boulevard west to the city limits. Also included is the paving the four miles of Riverview Boulevard (MO Rte. H) and 2.2 miles of Chippewa Street (MO Rte. 366) that are maintained by MoDOT. Perhaps the biggest MoDOT project impacting the City is the new Mississippi River Bridge crossing that has been in the planning and preliminary engineering phases for the better part of the 1990s. This new interstate bridge will carry I-70 over the River while the present section of I-70 between the new bridge and the Popular Street Bridge would be redesignated as part of I-44 extended from its present terminus at I-55. The location study for the bridge indicates that a location north of the downtown area is the better of two options. The City's staff has worked with the preliminary engineering design team to minimize the impact of the bridge structures on the neighborhood where the bridge ramps end on City streets. The greatest modification was changing the bridge ramping west of I-70. Originally, the ramps and approach-lanes were on an overpass of Tucker Boulevard north of O'Fallon Street on the way to the ramps' end at 14th Street and Cole Street. The City's staff was able to have this section modified so that the approximately 50-foot high ramp structure was changed to an underpass of Tucker Boulevard. A second significant change was keeping Cass Avenue open to Broadway through the ramping complex even though the street's path was altered due to the bridge ramping system. From Tucker Boulevard east, Cass Avenue was relocated two blocks north to intersect with Howard Street and extended east with a new bridge over I-70. East of the bridge ramps, Cass Avenue was extended south to O'Fallon Street and east to Broadway at its intersection with Mullanphy Street. Both 9th and 10th Streets will stay open to connect the two relocated streets. Both of these major modifications will allow the City's grid street system to basically remain in tact thereby insuring that the bridge will not cut-off downtown from the historic neighborhoods north of the bridge. Public Transportation Improvements The Bi-State Development Agency operates the public transportation system for the region including the City. This system includes the 18-mile, single-line MetroLink light rail system; the fixed-route bus system; and the Call-a-Ride system for those who cannot use the other two systems. The City passed a 1/2 cent sales tax for the purpose of supporting the transit system in 1983, another 1/2 cent sales tax in 1994 specifically for support of the MetroLink light rail system, and another 1/2 cent sales tax in 1996. This last sales tax did not go into effect, however, because it was tied to a similar sales tax increase in St. Louis County, which did not obtain voter approval. Over the past five years, Bi-State has made substantial progress in providing increased public transportation service to not only the City, but also St. Louis County and St. Clair County in Illinois. St. Louis City and County, together, provide approximately $40 million in operating assistance to Bi-State. The City provides approximately $16 million each year with St. Louis County providing the remainder. In the case of St. Clair County, Bi-State contracts with the St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD) for bus and light rail services. The SCCTD determines what level of service will be provided and contracts with Bi-State for both MetroLink and fixed-route bus service. Call-a-Ride service is provided through a separate contract with another agency. That progress has seen the initiation of the first MetroLink line in July, 1993. 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. 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. Initial ridership projections estimated that by approximately 2003, 36,000 riders per day would use the line. In fact, 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 ROW to its 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 are budgeted for this extension. With the implementation of these three 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 to 2004 depending on market conditions. A second project includes the major streetscape upgrading of Delmar Boulevard from DeBaliviere Avenue west to the city limits and the development of a plaza at the Delmar MetroLink Station. This project will expand the width of the sidewalks along Delmar Boulevard, making the area more pedestrian-friendly and provide a more enticing atmosphere for private development such as that in the Loop area of University City west of the City. Hopefully, the public investment will draw similar development east to the MetroLink station and to DeBaliviere Avenue. Another major public transportation improvement scheduled to open in the next five years is the Multi-Model St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center. 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 (up to 125 miles per hour) 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 between 2002 and 2005. Specific Project Issues Several major areas or topics have had or will have a significant impact on the City's transportation and infrastructure over the next five years. These topics include:
New Mississippi River Bridge for I-70
The agreement placed the 14th Street ramp under Tucker Boulevard instead of 50 feet over it, thereby eliminating the ramp's visual intrusion. Cass Avenue, west of the ramps, will connect with Howard Street two blocks to the north and provide access east to Broadway over a new bridge across I-70. Likewise, the part of Cass Avenue east of the ramps will remain open and connect O'Fallon Street to the south with Broadway to the east at Mullanphy Street across a second new I-70 bridge. Ninth and Tenth Streets will connect the two new roadways. The main purpose of these modified plans is to keep the City's grid street network intact as much as possible and to keep the ramps' impact on the surrounding neighborhoods to a minimum. An Environmental Impact Study of the entire project is due in January, 2000, and Public Workshops were held in October in both Missouri and Illinois. If the present cost estimate remains at $600 million, the federal share would be 80%, or $400 million, with the local/state share covering the remaining $200 million. Since two states are involved, the local/state share would be split by Missouri and Illinois. Illinois will probably pick-up more than Missouri due to the more extensive approach roadways needed and the large amount of bridge structures required in the Mississippi River flood plain. Since the project is not yet on the regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), and probably won't be until funding sources are identified, the project schedule is virtually impossible to determine. The plan is to secure funding in the next Transportation Bill scheduled for 2005, with the bridge opening in 2010 to 2011. Grattan Street Parkway
22nd Street Parkway
Replacement Viaducts
Within the City's Capital Improvement Program for the years 2000 to 2004 (CIP), a total of 11 bridges and viaducts will be replaced in the next five years. Several of them are rather large in scope, such as the Jefferson Avenue and Grand Boulevard viaducts over the Mill Creek Valley railroad yards, the Chouteau Avenue viaduct between 39th Street and Vandeventer Avenue, and the Kingshighway Boulevard viaduct over the Terminal Railroad tracks in Penrose Park. Hopefully, most, if not all, of these viaducts will be replaced and in service by 2005. However, the realities of obtaining matching federal funding may result in a slower replacement schedule. In any event, the City has started to catch up with the deferred replacement of its major bridges and viaducts. Metrolink Extensions
The Phase I, 7.5-mile Extension will start at the Forest Park Station in the City and run west along Forest Park Parkway with another City station at Skinker Boulevard. The line will continue west into University City and St. Louis County along Millbrook Boulevard and the Forest Park Parkway, then south to Shrewsbury. The line will have eight new stations in various St. Louis County municipalities before terminating back in the City of St. Louis at the intersection of Lansdowne Avenue and River Des Peres Boulevard. A maintenance and light-rail car storage facility is also planned for this location. These extensions are planned to be operating by 2005, the last year of this Plan Strategy. The Phase II and Phase III Extensions further south and north have not been scheduled yet because no funding source has been identified that would enable the local area to match any available federal funds. There are also three Major Transportation Investment Analyses (MTIA) ongoing which are examining transportation needs in the Northside, Southside, and Daniel Boone (west) Study Areas of the region. Only the Northside and Southside Study Areas affect the City. The Daniel Boone Study Area's easternmost boundary is I-170 and the north-south portion of the planned Cross-County MetroLink line. All three of these MTIAs are scheduled for completion in June, 2000. The two Northside Study Area MetroLink Alternatives that have emerged from the evaluation process both include the following alignment within the City:
The two Southside Study Area MetroLink Alternatives that have emerged from the evaluation process have the following alignments within the City:
Both of the Study Areas' Alternative Alignments use a single-track, one-way loop to serve the downtown core and its 95,000 employees. This loop operates counterclockwise running along 14th Street, Market Street, 7th Street, and Washington Avenue. Both of these Study Area MetroLink Extensions would provide excellent, new transit service to City residents and employment locations and could help stabilize some of the struggling neighborhoods in both Study Areas within the City. Unfortunately, at this time, the results from these three Study Areas will not be considered for implementation until the three phases of the Cross-County MetroLink line are completed or the present set of priorities for the overall MetroLink System are altered. The only way the City could alter the present implementation schedule and place one of these alternatives in a higher priority status would be to provide a sizeable amount of funding, especially for the segment within the City. This extra funding could allow one of the alternatives in the Northside Study Area or the Southside Study Area final recommendations to be built before the planned implementation of Phases II and III of the Cross-County MetroLink line. One possibility for a funding source would be to seek authority from the state legislature to begin collecting the sales tax passed by City voters in 1996. Such action would require disconnecting the City's positive vote on this sales tax from St. Louis County's negative vote on the same issue. Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
The airport recently completed a new master plan that developed, evaluated, and selected a new plan for expansion that would handle the ever-growing passenger and flight demands well into the 21st Century. This plan, identified as the W-1W Plan and approved by the FAA approximately one year ago, would add a new, 9,000-foot runway southwest of the present airport property and extend the main east-west runway to approximately 13,000 feet permitting nonstop flights to the Pacific Rim nations. This new runway would, in effect, extend west from the south end of the present crosswind runway near the I-70 and Cypress Road interchange toward I-270. Unfortunately, this plan would take a large number of homes and businesses in the St. Louis County city of Bridgeton. Bridgeton has chosen to fight the expansion plan in court claiming that the overall study effort was flawed and that not all impacts were taken into account. The St. Charles County community of St. Charles, west of the airport on the western (left) bank of the Missouri River, has also joined the litigation claiming that the W-1W Plan would increase aircraft noise over the city and impact the citizens' quality of life and their property values. Both of these communities want the FAA's Record of Decision (ROD) overturned due to these factors. One of Bridgeton's initial claims against the Plan was that the Authority was subject to the Bridgeton Zoning Ordinance and that, as such, it could not expand Lambert into an area not properly zoned. The courts recently dismissed this case in favor of the Airport. While the suites are working their way through the court system, the City is proceeding with design work required for implementing the W-1W Plan. Some of the early activity includes contracting with a consultant consortium to act as overall Program Managers for the entire project and contracting with another team of firms for the design of the land grading required for the expansion. If the original schedule is met, the expanded Lambert will be operational in 2006. Mississippi River Port
The Port Authority is also involved in any riverfront planning effort by the City and will also assist riverfront users by building certain infrastructure for their facility. The moving of the President's Casino on the Admiral is a good example of this type of assistance. The Casino is moving from the foot of Washington Avenue at the northern edge of the Gateway Arch grounds to a location north of the Dr. M. L. King Memorial 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 to provide safety and better access to the Casino. Within the area west of the Casino's new location, the southern end of the Near North Riverfront Neighborhood, the Port Authority will construct and widen some of the streets to provide better overall access to the area. This better access should make the area more inviting to potential developers. Funding for the Port Authority comes entirely from its leases of land and buildings and any federal or state grants that it may be successful in obtaining. The Port Authority can issue Revenue Bonds that are retired by lease or rental revenue from the facility that is built by the bond monies. The City provides no funding from general revenue or any other source for the Port's operation. Given this fiscal constraint, the Port is somewhat restricted in the amount of promotional and subsidization that can be used to attract and/or keep businesses. I-64 and I-70 Improvements These projects are under the jurisdiction of MoDOT and some of them are contained in the 2000-20002 TIP for the region. Others will be funded at a later date and, hopefully, will be completed by 2005. I-64 Improvements
MoDOT has just started this overall process and expect the rebuilding process to take about seven years with construction completed and the rebuilt freeway open for service in 2007. I-70 Improvements
While not in the City, MoDOT also has plans to rebuild and realign I-70 from Goodfellow Boulevard at the City Limits west to North Hanley Road. This reconstruction will have congestion impacts on the freeway segment in the City during construction, but will ultimately increase overall access to those portions of the City served by I-70 including the downtown area. THE ROLE OF THE STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS IN SUPPORTING URBAN ORIENTED TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS The Federal Role Over the past 5 - 6 years, the federal role in implementing transportation and infrastructure systems for urban areas has change in a positive direction. The principle reason for this change has been the passage of the Inter-Modal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) in 1992 and the continuation of its basic precepts in the reauthorization legislation in 1998 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). In both of those acts, the federal government turned away from transportation assistance programs of the past that focused mainly on new highway and freeway construction. These new acts turned toward a more balanced transportation system both locally and nationwide. Both acts vested more power in the local area by making the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) the final decision-making body for regional transportation programs. In the St. Louis region, the East-West Gateway Coordinating Council is the MPO and it has developed a program titled Transportation Redefined which focused on preservation of existing transportation as the highest priority for determining which projects are funded and which are not. This new emphasis is seen in the many preservation and reconstruction projects listed in the region's latest TIP. In the City, the I-70 reconstruction projects are a prime example of the preservation emphasis. Many of the new projects deal with streetscape upgrading through landscaping, coordinated design features for street furniture, widened sidewalks, and other physical improvements that add to an overall positive image of the urban street scene. Also adding to this urban emphasis is the use of these funds for incorporating bicycling into the streetscapes and to make the pedestrian facilities more attractive for use by people frequenting businesses along the major roadways improved by these programs. Federal participation in eligible projects funding ranges from 50% to 100% depending on the federal program used for the project's implementation. Most projects fall within the 75% - 80% federal/ 25% - 20% local or state funds. The local matching share's source can come from state, county, or city monies. Within the City of St. Louis, all the local monies come from the City since the City is not within a county. Through the 1990s, the City has obtained much more federal funding for major projects that it had previously. The reason for this increase is the availability of the 1/2 cent sales tax revenue for capital improvement. This tax went into effect in 1994 and has been producing approximately $1 million per year that is used for the local funds to leverage against federal funds. The State Role In many respects, the state role should mirror the federal one by offering assistance to local areas to cover part of the federal requirement for local matching funds. Perhaps the state should take over maintenance of all major arterial streets within the City like it has historically done to the other 114 counties throughout Missouri. At the present time, MoDOT provides limited maintenance for eight major arterial streets within the City Limits (see pp. 7 & 8 of this Chapter for a list of these streets). This is a major change from past policies where only a segment of one street was state-maintained. However, there are still several major streets that could be maintained by the state such as:
This list is only a suggestion of streets that might be turned over to MoDOT. A detailed review of the streets' volume, connectivity with the City's system, accident patterns, transit usage, etc. would be needed along with negotiations between the two political entities over design details and other engineering factors before a transfer of any City street to MoDOT would take place. Missouri is one of only two mainly urban states in the country that does not provide capital and operating assistance to city and metropolitan area public transit systems within its boundaries through a dedicated funding source (Colorado is the other state). Many attempts to change this policy have been made over the years by various interest groups and bills introduced by urban legislators. None have been successful to date. However, legislation has been passed to help replace operating funding assistance reduced by federal programs. These funds came from the state's general revenue fund. The Missouri constitution restricts the use of gasoline taxes to roadway and bridge projects. Attempts to change the constitution have met with failure each time they have arisen. Proponents of alternative transportation (non-highway) have lately focused on a sales tax of some type that could be placed on gasoline and other fuels and vehicles products such as tires, parts, etc. Such a tax would be used for a dedicated source of local funds for all types of non-highway transportation, public transit, intrastate buses, Amtrak service, river transportation, hiking and biking trails, etc. This money would be used to assist cities in obtaining federal funding for physical projects and should also be available for assistance in operating bus and rail systems of all types. UNMET MAJOR TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS Major Transportation Needs The major City transportation needs are shown in the regional TIP and the City's CIP for the next five years. These projects, along with those planned by MoDOT within the City, constitute the City's major street system needs for the next five years. The TIP also identifies the major transit projects slated for the region. The present east MetroLink Extension under construction to Belleville, IL, and Scott AFB at Mid-America Airport will place the City is the center of a 43-mile, single-line light-rail system providing access to many of the regions employment, entertainment, institutional, and recreational facilities. This extension is being built in two phases. Phase I extends from the present terminus at the 5th and Missouri Station 17-miles east to the Belleville Area College (BAC) Station and will be open for service in 2001. Phase II extends the line from the BAC Station east another 8 miles east to the Mid-America Airport Terminal Station. This phase will open for service in 2003. A second extension is planned for the Missouri part of the region. This extension is Phase I of the Cross-County MetroLink line and will start at the Forest Park Station in the City and proceed west to Clayton and then south to an initial terminus back in the City at the intersection of Lansdowne Avenue and River Des Peres Boulevard. This 7.5-mile addition to MetroLink will keep the City in the center of a now 50-mile, two line light-rail system that extends to the north, south, and east. Other unmet needs that are slowly being corrected through the use of the 1/2 cent sales tax revenue is the major arterial and activity center traffic signal system. The TIP identifies several projects that will correct and refine poorly timed traffic signals now causing unacceptable delays along major arterial streets and around major activity centers such as the three professional sports stadia. Infrastructure Needs Some of the City's infrastructure needs are under the jurisdiction of the larger, area-wide Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD). This agency is responsible for the upgrading and maintenance of the City's sanitary sewer system. The City does have responsibility for its potable water system and for both its river port and airport. The Water Division operates with a surplus of funds each year and could probably increase the amount by aggressively marketing its water surplus to communities in St. Charles County. The Port District that was organized through Missouri enabling legislation handles the Port. It must operate within its income from land and building leasing and docking and storage fees at the City Dock at the foot of North Market Street on the Mississippi River. The Port District uses no City general revenue. Lambert-St. Louis International Airport also operates somewhat outside the regular City government organization. It is under the jurisdiction of the Airport Commission that has representatives from the City, St. Louis County, and some of the immediately surrounding communities. City representatives dominate the Commission, however, since the City owns the airport property. Both of these entities develop their own plans for their specific facility and merely coordinate their activity with other City departments that may be impacted by these plans. St. Louis Gateway Transportation Intermodal Center
This project has been under study for at least 20 years. Principle hindrances have focused on the location of the facility and the source of the local funding share for its design and construction. The project is finally progressing. The site chosen for the facility is under the I-64/US 40 Viaduct west of 14th Street to 16th Street. This site will be on the present site of the Amtrak Station. Final design is close to completion and the money for construction is available from a variety of federal, state, and local sources. The project is also contained in the regional TIP for 2000-2002. Exact opening date is not set, but is expected to be between 2002 and 2005. Airport Expansion
Reasons for Metrolink extensions to the South and North Within the City As part of the MTIA Studies ongoing of the Northside, Southside, and Daniel Boone Study Areas in Missouri, only the North and South Study Areas are partially within the City. The Northside Study Area City boundaries are Chouteau/Manchester Avenues on the south, Kingshighway Boulevard/Lindell Boulevard/Union Boulevard/Dr. M. L. King Drive on the west, and the City Limits north to the Mississippi River. The Southside Study Area City boundaries are I-64/Forest Park Parkway on the north, Kingshighway Boulevard/Oakland/Mackland/Manchester/Hampton/ Gravois Avenues on the west, and the City Limits on the south. The Mississippi River is the eastern boundary for both Study Areas. As part of the MTIA process, a Purpose and Need Statement for each Study Area is developed through an examination of existing and known future conditions in the Study Area and a series of public meetings or workshops with residents, business interests, institutions, and other community leaders. This information was then summarize and the Purpose and Needs Statement developed for each Study Area. The Northside Study Area Purpose and Needs Statement includes the following:
Safety: Use transportation improvements on roadways to reduce the existing accident rate. Also direct transportation improvements to enhance neighborhoods vitality, thereby improving personal safety. Neighborhood Revitalization/Sustainable Development: Use new transportation infrastructure to maintain and/or enhance quality of life in neighborhoods, with a focus on areas of declining population and employment. Connectivity of the Transportation System: Build on the existing transportation system by seeking opportunities to improve connections between roadways and/or transit in the existing system. This Purpose and Need Statement led to developing Goals and Objectives for each of the four areas noted. These Goals and Objectives are:
Goal: Improve access to opportunities for Northside Study Area residents and businesses Objectives:
Goal: Improve the safety of the transportation system in the Northside Study Area. Objective:
Goal: Maintain and/or enhance Northside Study Area neighborhoods. Objectives:
Goal: Improve the movement of goods/freight within and through the Northside Study Area. Objective: In similar fashion, the Purpose and Need Statement for the Southside Study Area includes the following:
Preserve Neighborhoods: Use of new transportation infrastructure to maintain and/or enhance quality of life in communities and neighborhoods. Promote Economic Opportunities: Use of new transportation infrastructure as catalyst for new development (jobs, services, commercial activity) in areas of declining employment. Relieve Congestion: Improve mobility on major arterials and roadways experiencing high levels of traffic congestion. Minimize Traffic Impacts: Mitigate secondary travel impacts on local city streets due to high traffic demand from South County to St. Louis CBD and from South County to Clayton CBD and other destinations. Pursue Cost Effective, Safe Transportation Solutions. This Statement of Purpose and Need resulted in the following Goals and Objectives for the Southside Study Area:
Goal: Improve travel for the home to work commute for Southside residents and employees. Objectives:
Goal: Maintain and/or enhance Southside neighborhoods and communities. Objectives:
Goal: Relieve congestion in areas projected to experience traffic growth. Objectives: Goal: Minimize secondary traffic impacts on local streets due to lack of direct roadway connections or bottlenecks of congestion on the primary road system.
Goal: Pursue cost-effective, safe transportation solutions. Objectives: Examining the two sets of Purpose and Need Statements and two sets of Goals and Objectives from the two Study Areas, two important similarities are noticeable:
These similarities indicate that both the north and south parts of the City included in these two Study Areas have similar reasons for wanting improved transportation in their neighborhoods. When looking at the Goals and Objectives for Access to Opportunity, again, both areas want similar things done to reach their objectives:
A similar goal was stated for Sustainable Development: Maintain and/or enhance Study Area neighborhoods. To do this, both Study Areas had the same two goals:
These Statements, Goals, and Objectives are all focussed on the retention of what is good about the existing conditions in neighborhoods and adding to or enhancing those same qualities through using transportation monies as one of the means to these ends. As an example, if one of the light-rail options were selected for one of these Study Areas, then planning could begin to focus development around the stations of that line. This development should be mixed with residential, commercial, service, and recreational uses at the stations. The City could assemble the land or be prepared to make privately funded development around the stations easy to implement. These new developments would keep people in the neighborhoods around the stations, provide for the majority of their everyday needs, and allow them access to employment either within the same neighborhood or along the light-rail line. The areas of the City through which this line passed would become stable and could become anchors for repopulating and reemploying many vacant and abandoned areas of the City. Essentially, the Purpose and Need Statements and the resulting Goals and Objectives for the two City Study Areas focus on the higher ranked regional goals as expressed in "Transportation Redefined II," published by East-West Gateway as the policy and guide to regional transportation infrastructure investment. Major Transportation Improvements called for in the DowntownNow Plan, Darst-Webbe Plan, Sustainable Neighborhood Plans, and the City's Capital Improvement Plan identify the major transportation and infrastructure improvements for the City over the next five-year period. |