McKinley Bridge Bikeway and Trestle at Branch Street Opening June 7th

McKinley Bridge Bikeway and Trestle at Branch Street Opening Festivities for Families, Sat., June 7, 2008

A unique bicycle and pedestrian experience featuring exceptional views of the Mississippi River

The Great Rivers Greenway District and the Metro East Park and Recreation District will jointly celebrate the grand opening of the McKinley Bridge Bikeway and Trestle at Branch Street on Saturday, June 7, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Both organizations share credit for improving bicycle and pedestrian access across the bridge.

The McKinley Bridge Bikeway is a 2,600-ft. long by 14-ft. wide cantilevered lane separated from vehicular traffic lanes on the McKinley Bridge. It is only the second bicycle/pedestrian bridge to open over the Mississippi River in St. Louis, preceded by Old Chain of Rocks Bridge. Offering dramatic views of the Mississippi River and downtown St. Louis, the bikeway is a unique and distinctive feature of the reconstructed bridge that was reopened for vehicular traffic last November.

Also new on the Missouri side is the Trestle at Branch Street, a 2,400-ft. long by 24-ft. wide paved path that rises from street level at Branch Street to the height of the McKinley Bridge Bikeway. The trestle provides a direct connection to the popular 11-mile Riverfront Trail.

Events scheduled for Saturday, June 7 include:
Bike Ride. An “Early Bird Trail Ride,” from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. will be held on the Riverfront Trail. The ride begins at North Riverfront Park, near the intersection of Riverview Drive and Chambers, where parking is available. Participants will bicycle from North Riverfront Park to the Trestle at Branch Street.

Dedication
For the official dedication and ribbon “tying” at 12-noon the public is invited to participate. Processions to the mid-point on the Bridge will begin simultaneously on the Missouri side at the entrance to the McKinley Bikeway (foot of Branch Street, east of N. Broadway) and on the Illinois side at the McKinley Bridge Roadside Park (Off Route 3 at the entrance to the McKinley Bridge). From Missouri, dignitaries leading the procession include St. Louis City Mayor Francis G. Slay, St. Louis City President Board of Aldermen Lewis E. Reed, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley and St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann. From Illinois, dignitaries leading the procession include Madison County Board Chairman Alan Dunstan, St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern, City of Venice Mayor Avery Ware and Mayor John Hamm, City of Madison.

Activities and Events
Activities from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on both sides of the McKinley Bridge will include a variety of street performances and food vendors, as well as free bicycle helmets and fittings for the first 200 children and helmet adjustments for anyone by Helmets First! and a free bicycle service check by Big Shark Bicycle technicians. In addition, two adult bikes and two children’s bikes (for age range 6-12) will be raffled.

Due to the schedule of events and activities, bike riding will not be permitted on the McKinley Bridge Bikeway during the event. A supervised free bike parking area will be provided on the Missouri side only.

Free parking is available on the Missouri side at the foot of Branch Street east of Broadway. In Illinois free parking is adjacent to the McKinley Bridge Roadside Park off Route 3 in Illinois courtesy of Ameren. A map of the area is available at www.greatrivers.info.

Activities and events are being coordinated by The Grace Hill AmeriCorps Trail Rangers, a community development initiative in North St. Louis City. The AmeriCorps Trail Rangers provide assistance on maintenance and programming year-round on the Riverfront Trail.

Bikeway Exemplifies Regional Collaboration
“The McKinley Bridge Bikeway demonstrates the power of regional collaboration to improve transportation options for all residents of the bi-state region. Creating it required ongoing collaboration between the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), Metro and the City of St. Louis, as well as both park and greenway districts,” said David Fisher, Executive Director of The Great Rivers Greenway District. “The Bikeway links residents in neighborhoods and communities to each other while providing an exciting venue to view and experience the power and majesty of the Mississippi River.“

The Great Rivers Greenway District provided $7 million for the bikeway and $4 million for the Trestle at Branch Street, with the Metro East Park and Recreation District contributing $950,000 toward the bikeway and the construction of a connecting trail that links into the McKinley Bridge Roadside Park. Interestingly, $4 million is same amount it cost in 1910 to build the original bridge.

According to Mike Buehlhorn, Executive Director for the Metro East Park and Recreation District, reconnecting Madison County and St. Louis City across the McKinley Bridge is a vital link in the plans for developing a region-wide system of interconnected greenways, parks and trails. “The Mississippi River has served as a barrier between communities and residents for far too long, and the re-use of the existing infrastructure transforms the project beyond a simple bridge crossing into a concrete example of what can be created with the spirit of cooperation,” said Buehlhorn.

The impact on the region is significant. “The positive impact of the McKinley Bridge Bikeway demonstrates the importance of regional cooperation between Missouri and Illinois and focusing the region on the wise use of its existing resources and amenities,” said St. Louis City Mayor Francis G. Slay. “In addition to reconnecting communities across the Mississippi River, the McKinley Bridge Bikeway will have a long-lasting regional impact by providing economic, environmental and social benefits on both sides of the river.”

Madison County Board Chairman Alan Dunstan highlighted another important aspect of the project. “Thanks to the vision and hard work of the Madison County Transit District (MCT), we have a world-class bikeway system featuring over 100 miles of interconnected trails in Madison County. The opening of this landmark project by MEPRD and Great Rivers Greenway brings us another step closer to providing Missouri residents with enhanced access to those trails.”

While there are existing on-road connections to both the Confluence Trail and Schoolhouse Trail, MEPRD and MCT are in the planning stages for a trail connection that will link the McKinley Bridge Bikeway directly into the one of those existing MCT trails.

Eventually, an additional extension on the Missouri side will connect the Trestle at Branch Street, an adjacent historic elevated steel trestle that continues to downtown St. Louis. The adaptive reuse of this trestle, which was a former rail corridor, will distinguish St. Louis as only the third city in the world, after the High Line in New York City and the Promenade Plantée in Paris, to convert an historic elevated railroad viaduct into a linear urban recreation area.

Revitalizing the McKinley Bridge
The McKinley Bridge was built in 1910 by the Illinois Traction System to bring its tracks into St. Louis. Named for William B. McKinley, president of the system, the bridge provided local access for the railroad’s network of freight and passenger electric interurban trains in Illinois, including local streetcars to Granite City.

Revitalization began in 2004, when the City of Venice, the Land Reutilization Authority of the City of St. Louis, Madison County, St. Clair County, Madison County Transit and Metro (Bi-State Development Agency) agreed to purchase the bonds and resolve the unpaid taxes on the McKinley Bridge, which had been closed since 2001 after falling into disrepair .

In late 2004, Great Rivers Greenway District in cooperation with the Metro East Park and Recreation District finalized an agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation to provide bicycle and pedestrian access on the McKinley Bridge that would provide connections to the Riverfront Trail in the St. Louis City and the Confluence Bikeway in Madison County.

About The Great Rivers Greenway District:
The Great Rivers Greenway District is the public organization leading the development of a region-wide system of interconnected greenways, parks and trails, known as the River Ring. The River Ring will join two states and cover an area of 1,216 square miles. The Greenway District was established in November 2000 by the successful passage of the Clean Water, Safe Parks and Community Trails Initiative (Proposition C) in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County, Missouri. For more information about Great Rivers Greenway District, visit www.greatrivers.info.

About the Metro East Park and Recreation District:
The Metro East Park and Recreation District (MEPRD) was formed by voters in November 2000, and is responsible for the development of parks, greenways, and trails in Madison County and St. Clair County, Illinois. The District supplements the efforts of local governments, special districts, and other jurisdictions already engaged in the management of parks and recreation facilities. The park district is the first of its kind in Illinois, serving over half a million residents in an area larger in size than the State of Rhode Island. For more information, visit www.meprd.org.