Bicyclist comments make the difference in St. Louis bridge design

The TrailNet website recently included this bit of good news:

We recently asked for your help to encourage MODOT to include bicycle/pedestrian accommodations in their planned overhaul of the Dougherty Ferry Road bridge/overpass at I-270, and YOU MADE THE DIFFERENCE! According to Karen Yeomans, MODOT Engineer, “[MODOT] received overwhelming support for closing the interchange during construction, but even more overwhelming comments about including bike/ped facilities on the bridge. We were not aware of the apparently significant use of Dougherty Ferry for bikes and had not included plans for a sidewalk on the bridge. We were including wider shoulders to accommodate bikes, but not a sidewalk. Since receiving many comments about including a sidewalk, we have determined that it is feasible and we will include a sidewalk on the north side of the bridge, and the shoulder will be much wider and will accommodate bike traffic.

“Because many of the comments we received came through Trailnet members, I would like to ask if you could get the word out to the bike/ped community that we will be including these accommodations on the new bridge.We appreciate all the interest and the comments we received, this does help us make informed decisions about our projects.”

For more information, contact Karen Yeomans at 314-340-4356 or Tom Montes de Oca, the project manager, at 314-340-4385.

Citizen comments do make the difference--if you have not weighed in with your comment about the bicycle/pedestrian bridge access policy in the Kansas City area, please do.

You can let your voice be heard in about 2 minutes here.

And yes--your voice DOES make a difference!