MAPLEWOOD • Council members will be weighing pros and cons of two locations for a greenway through the city as they prepare to vote next month for the option they prefer — or none at all.
Several months ago Great Rivers Greenway asked the city to consider two routes through the city — one in the north and one in the south — that it could develop into a trail for walking, biking and running. The trail would extend Deer Creek Greenway and connect it with the River Des Peres Greenway.
Both proposed Maplewood routes cross busy Big Bend Boulevard at Oxford Avenue — and that could be a deal breaker for the project.
At a meeting earlier this month several council members said they want an underpass for the greenway at that intersection. It would be the only safe option since Great Rivers has ruled out an overpass, they said. Some said they want Great Rivers to show specifically how safety concerns would be addressed before they approve either route.
But Great Rivers’ current plans call for a street-level crossing at Big Bend for both alignments, Emma Klues, the organization's vice president of communications and outreach, said in an interview Thursday. “It (a street-level crossing) is comparable to a lot of other crossings with other greenways around the region,” she said.
Klues said an overpass "would actually be a lot more intrusive to homes or all of the other landowners there."
And an underpass?
“To my knowledge there’s not a feasible option for that either,” she said.
She added the the plan with a street-level crossing has been approved by the Missouri Department of Transportation and federal reviewers.
Great Rivers would pay to build the greenway but the city would have to maintain it.
The mile-long northern route would stretch from McCausland where it would connect with Francis R. Slay Park westward to Canterbury Avenue turning left on Greenwood Boulevard and traversing Maplewood to Sussex Avenue. There the trail would go south two blocks turning west on Oxford before crossing Big Bend.
The ¾-mile southern route which partially follows Deer Creek would include about a half mile of greenway and a quarter mile of sidewalks and so-called “sharrows” where bikes and cars share a lane. That route would start near a former foam factory on Wellington Court that the Metropolitan Sewer District intends to turn into a storage facility. It would run along the creek, up Brompton Square, then skirt behind houses on Manhattan Avenue until Sussex. Then it would go north on Sussex and west on Oxford to Big Bend.
Each route has additional issues. The northern route parallels railroad tracks on part of Greenwood, which some residents have called a safety issue. It also passes in front of several businesses along Greenwood, reportedly causing concern among some business owners.
The southern route would require acquiring land along the backs of several residential properties on Manhattan Avenue. In addition, MSD’s plans for the former foam factory could delay the start of the project by several years or require the greenway to be closed temporarily if the MSD work begins after it is open, Klues said.
Mayor Barry Greenberg, an avid biker, said he prefers the northern route because it goes through Maplewood’s downtown. However, he said he wants the safety issues addressed. “We have to be convinced it’ll work before we can endorse it,” he said.
Like others, Greenberg said he is concerned about plans to cross traffic-heavy Big Bend at street level. “It’s quite the confusing intersection," he said. "It’s not just a T-intersection because you have these other cars coming and going.”
Bikers and walkers often have children with them making crossing the street more challenging, Greenberg said. “To me it’s a real issue trying to get across Big Bend with four lanes of traffic there with children and avoid getting hit,” he said.
City Manager Martin J. Corcoran told the council Tuesday to think about the matter and “be prepared to discuss it at our next meeting” on Feb. 13. He said Great Rivers Greenway needs a vote from the council on the matter because “they’ve got a deadline to do something with East-West Gateway” later in February.
In an interview after Tuesday’s meeting Greenberg said the city has communicated the safety concerns to Great Rivers but the organization has said it can’t address those concerns until later in the planning process.
Also in an interview Councilman Shawn Faulkingham said he will try to get more feedback from residents before the next council meeting.
“I want to talk to some more homeowners in the area and a couple more business owners before I make my decision because it can get complicated really fast,” he said. “Some people may not want a trail going in front of their house.”