Natural Bridge Great Streets Project celebrates completion - much improved walking, bicycling, streetscape – The Current

Headlines are quick hits from media outlets from Missouri and around the world. Follow the headline link for the full story. The source of this headline says:

University Square celebrated the completion of the Natural Bridge Great Streets Project, phase I, by hosting their first annual Fountain Festival on September 24. Most of the activities centered around the Natural Bridge Road Fountain Plaza. From 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., some parts of Florissant Road and Natural Bridge Road as well as some of the adjoining streets were closed for the festival. The celebration consisted of music, food, and fountain displays throughout the day.

The event started at 9 a.m. with an ecology tour, and then a Fun Run/Great Streets Walk was held at 10 a.m. to show the improvements that were made along Natural Bridge Road.

“We have been working on this project for ten years, and I think it turned out more beautifully that I ever anticipated. I think the fountain, which is a relocation of a famous historic St. Louis fountain, turned out beautifully and I couldn’t be happier,” said Betty Van Uum, Assistant of the Chancellor for Public Affairs and the Chair of University Square Community Development Corporation.

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Natural Bridge Great Streets Project celebrates completion - much improved walking, bicycling, streetscape – The Current

MoBikeFed comment: The Natural Bridge Great Streets Project is just one of several ongoing projects to improve streetscapes in the great St. Louis metro area.

The idea is to improve access for people of all levels of ability who walk, bicycle, use transit, and/or drive, but also to take an even more comprehensive look at how streets fit into a community. The final project includes streetscaping, plantings, traffic calming, curb cuts, crosswalks, bicycle lanes, improved sidewalks, and reduction in motor vehicle lanes and speed.

The final product is a pretty impressive improvement.

Read more about the Natural Bridge Great Streets project here:

http://www.ewgateway.org/nb/
http://www.modot.org/stlouis/major_projects/NaturalBridgeGreatStreetsPro...
http://www.cityofnormandy.gov/index.aspx?NID=910

More about East/West Gateway's Great Streets projects all over the St. Louis region:

http://www.ewgateway.org/GreatStreets/greatstreets.htm

And least but not least, Urban Review STL did a detailed before/after analysis of the Natural Bridge Great Streets project, showing the tremendous improvement in walkability and ADA accessibility, here:

http://www.ewgateway.org/GreatStreets/greatstreets.htm
http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/2016/05/the-great-streets-project-on-natur...
http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/2016/05/the-great-streets-project-on-natur...

Great Streets is essentially the St Louis region's implementation of the Complete Streets concept. Find our more about Complete Streets in Missouri here:

http://MoBikeFed.org/CompleteStreets