Substantial portions of Grand Ave in mid and south city will be getting a makeover this year. Among them is the stretch of Grand from Park Ave to Chouteau Ave. Here’s a quick recap of the $2 million streetscape project:
- Landscaped medians will be installed similar to the medians between I-44 and Arsenal.
- Two lanes in each direction will continue to be provided plus the occasional turn lane. For northbound Grand Ave at Chouteau Ave, a right-turn lane will be added; left turns, however, will continue to be restricted.
- Almost all sidewalks will be replaced with new exposed aggregate concrete and accessible curb ramps. The only sidewalk not slated to be replaced is the section adjacent to SLU’s Health Science Center.
- Dedicated bike lanes will be added to both sides of Grand for the entire project stretch. With the improvements already/soon to be made along South Grand Ave between Arsenal and McDonald, Grand seems poised to become a major bike corridor in St. Louis.
- All on-street parking will be removed.
Hmm….why not allow parking during non-rush hour on-street? Otherwise, good plan.Allowing on-street parking after rush hour could help any potential business that might want to locate on Grand itself. I realize there are only a few mixed use buildings left on the stretch, but I still think it's worth it to allow the parking.
It's not that the city is no longer permitting on-street parking, it's that there won't be any space for it after the street is redone. The landscaped median plus bike lanes are taking the space of the on-street parking.
i'm sure the improvements will look great. however, like matt, i worry that eliminating on-street parking, as well as the lack of provision for a future streetcar line, will prevent needed development along this corridor. based on a quick skim of the plans, it doesn't appear there will be any bus stops either. why can't this stretch go down to 2 lanes + 1 turn lane like s. grand?