Tower Grove Connector Phase I
The
Tower Grove Connector will create a protected cycle track, improve walking and
safety amenities, and upgrade intersections and traffic flow. A two-way,
sidewalk-level cycle track will be built along Tower Grove Avenue and
Vandeventer Avenue, ending at Sarah Street. This track will be physically
separated from the traffic curb, creating a buffer between cyclist and
automobile traffic. Walking and safety improvements include ADA-compliant
crosswalk upgrades, pedestrian signals with countdown timers, raised mid-block
crosswalks on Tower Grove Avenue, and safer driveway crossings along
Vandeventer Avenue will be made.
The
Connector will also reconfigure the Vandeventer–Tower Grove intersection from a
five-way signalized intersection to a more traditional four-way intersection.
To accomplish this, Central Industrial Drive will be shifted east and given its
own signalized intersection with Vandeventer Avenue. All new traffic signals, both
at the new four-way intersection and at Central Industrial Drive and
Vandeventer, will be connected to the City’s Traffic Management Center to
improve traffic flow and reduce congestion.
Phase
One of the Tower Grove Connector covers a 2.2‑mile corridor along Vandeventer
Avenue, extending from Sarah Street in the north to Magnolia Avenue just south
of Tower Grove Avenue. The goal of Phase One is to create a protected space for
biking along one of the region’s busiest corridors while improving access to
transit, jobs, and nearby neighborhoods. Phase One is scheduled to be completed
in the summer of 2026.
The
Connector will provide not only physical improvements, but also strong social
and economic benefits for the wards and neighborhoods it serves. Physical
improvements include maintained parking on Vandeventer Avenue, new street trees
and landscaping, larger buffers between cars, cyclists, and pedestrians, a new
center turn lane on Vandeventer Avenue, and three new raised mid-block
crosswalks on Tower Grove Avenue. These upgrades will support safer walking and
biking options and make it easier to reach schools, parks, grocery stores,
healthcare, and jobs along and beyond Shaw, Botanical Heights, Southwest
Garden, and Forest Park Southeast.
Local
businesses and institutions will benefit from increased foot and bicycle
traffic. Maintained parking, combined with calmer traffic, will make it more
convenient and comfortable for customers to visit businesses on Vandeventer. As
sidewalks, cycling paths, and lighting are improved, storefronts will become
more visible and accessible to people passing by on foot or by bike. The
Connector Project will also promote equity and access by improving non-car
connections to regional destinations such as Cortex, the Central West End,
Tower Grove Park, and the Missouri Botanical Garden.
The
Connector links Tower Grove Park and surrounding neighborhoods to the rest of
the City of Saint Louis through more affordable and safer transportation
options. New bike and pedestrian routes will connect directly to the Central
West End, Cortex job centers, the Washington University Medical Campus, Midtown
and the Saint Louis University area, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and Tower
Grove Park. All neighborhoods touched by the Tower Grove Connector Project will
be positioned as key links to the future Brickline Greenway, which will be
built as part of Phase Two. Residents along the Connector will also have
improved access to multiple bus routes and, indirectly, to MetroLink via safer
first- and last-mile connections.
Construction
for Phase Two of the Connector is anticipated to begin in 2026. The goal of
Phase Two is to further connect neighborhoods along the Connector to job
centers and cultural institutions across the City of Saint Louis by linking the
Tower Grove Connector to the Brickline Greenway. WUMC RC is excited for these
improvements and the new opportunities they will bring to Saint Louis’
neighborhoods and communities.