Lindell and Union and Beyond
Time for a New Design?
The bridge at the intersection at Lindell and Union Boulevards over Forest Park Parkway and the MetroLink tracks is old and needs to be replaced. The City of St. Louis has commissioned a new design for the bridge and intersection and has released the plan.
The City’s plan has two significant changes from the current bridge and intersection. First, the appearance of the intersection is altered significantly with an enlarged lid of grass covering more of Forest Park Parkway while the circle shaped plaza at the corners is eliminated in favor of a more minimal and utilitarian style on the north side of Lindell and an ornamental style on the south side at the park entrance. Second, a new stop light is added on Forest Park Parkway just east of Union where currently there is no stop. Otherwise, the design is very similar to the present conditions. But with this project costing $25 Million and at a significant intersection, this is an opportunity to do much more. A carefully considered design can improve park access, public transit and traffic flow, and create a place that benefits the neighborhood, city, and entire St. Louis region.
Earlier this month Jake Banton wrote a piece addressing aesthetic choices and safety issues for pedestrians and bike riders in the City’s plan and Adam Treaster created a design addressing those safety issues that proposes use of a protected intersection also known as a Dutch-style junction. Both of these pieces raise important concerns about the redesign and suggest good ideas. Considering the significance of this intersection, I decided to design an Alternative Concept for the intersection that addresses public transit, connectivity, safety, place and the human experience.
The Intersection in Context
I lay out my Alternative Concept below, but first, the intersection of Lindell and Union needs to be considered in the context of the St. Louis region. Union Blvd. provides a major entrance to Forest Park, a crown jewel of the region. Lindell Blvd. is a significant street bordering Forest Park. It flows into Olive St. toward the east and into Forsyth toward the west. This combined line spans the center and heart of St. Louis, making it both a beautiful and very practical connector. Parallel to Lindell on the southern edge of Forest Park is Oakland, which flows into Clayton Road to the west. East of Forest Park, Forest Park Parkway and Market Street run parallel to Lindell leading directly to The Arch and Mississippi River where the St. Louis begins.
This collection of streets forms the center East-West spine of the most densely populated and developed area of the region, often referred to as the Central Corridor. These streets, however, primarily serve private automobiles. There is some limited bus access and there are sidewalks and painted bike lanes in some areas, but there are also a lot of gaps and the crosswalks are scary throughout most of it. Considering the location and the rich collection of amenities here, this corridor should be much better. I’ve envisioned this stretch as the Central Circulator — a continuous multi-modal, “complete street” with protected bike lanes, broad sidewalks and a BRT line.
The Central Circulator would connect the Downtown business and tourist district to Downtown Clayton on one easy and intuitive loop. It would compliment the MetroLink, criss-crossing and connecting with it at several points along the way and offering more options for getting around.
The Central Circulator would be pleasant and practical, popular with tourists and visitors in addition to residents and workers. It would form the center spine of the larger STL BRT network and offer direct front-door access to many of the region’s major attractions and institutions. Some of them are:
- Popular attractions like The Arch and Old Courthouse, Union Station, CITYPARK soccer stadium, Steinberg Skating Rink, and Science Center
- Shopping, dining and entertainment destinations including Downtown, Downtown West, Midtown Alley, City Foundry, Central West End, Downtown Clayton, and the Galleria
- Significant arts and cultural institutions like the Central Library, Stifel Theatre, Grand Center, History Museum, and Kemper Art Museum
- Employment hubs including the Downtown Central Business District, Cortex Innovation District, Clayton Business District, and city and county government offices and courts
- Major hospitals including Barnes-Jewish and St. Mary’s
- Main campuses for several education institutions including Harris-Stowe University, St. Louis University, St. Louis Community College, and Washington University
The Lindell and Union intersection would lie in the middle of the northern side of the Central Circulator, with the Forest Park stretch of Lindell making up a quarter of that side. How this intersection and stretch of Lindell is redesigned and rebuilt needs to consider this context.
Bringing it Together
My Alternative Concept for the rebuild of this bridge and intersection is shown in these illustrations. I suggest five actions that will maximize the potential of this site, generate social and economic activity, and create strong connectivity for St. Louis.
1. Remove the Forest Park Parkway exit/entrance ramps and extend the lid.
These ramps create huge safety hazards for bike riders and pedestrians as well as bring noise, chaos and ugliness to the entrance to Forest Park. The City’s redesign is a slight improvement, but will not significantly change the experience. One will still have to navigate highway ramps and traffic just as they are entering our grandest and most beautiful park. This Parkway entrance/exit is unnecessary as there is better access only a 1/2 mile east at Kingshighway and a 1/2 mile west at DeBaliviere. And removing these ramps would improve traffic conditions on the Parkway itself, eliminating the slow-down that occurs here. The City’s proposed solution of adding a stoplight to the Parkway is certain to cause even slower traffic, possibly creating more traffic jams.
Building a larger lid over the Parkway and the MetroLink tracks and removing the ramps would enhance and beautify the entrance to Forest Park for all visitors whether they arrive by foot, bike, or car. This solution also has an additional benefit of creating more space for higher uses (more on that later).
2. Prioritize Strong Bike and Pedestrian Infrastructure.
Focus on creating safe, comfortable, and pleasant travel corridors for bike riders and pedestrians. The City’s plan is unclear on the details regarding safety. I suggest the following:
- On Union, keep the one-way bike lanes on each side of the street, but add 2-foot concrete buffers separating them from car traffic.
- On Lindell, add a wide two-way buffered bike path and broad sidewalk on the south side of Lindell Blvd., along the northern border of Forest Park. This will not require using any road space for bike lanes and will provide the safest and most pleasant experience for riders and pedestrians.
- Utilize a Dutch-style protected intersection at Lindell and Union to enable safe crossings for pedestrians and bike riders. Make the crosswalks wide to enable two-way bicycle crossing.
- Add steel bollards at all conflict points to protect pedestrians and bike riders.
- Plant trees on Lindell and Union Boulevards in between the bike path and sidewalk to fill any gaps and provide shade and clean air. Add a tree-lined median on Union to reduce the width of the street and enhance the experience for everyone.
3. Add dedicated Bus Rapid Transit lanes on Lindell.
Repurpose the two outer traffic lanes for BRT. This will aid in the traffic calming goals for the neighborhood as well as provide an enhanced rapid transit experience.
Build stations at the sidewalk curbs so that widening the street isn’t necessary.
Locate stations at Skinker, DeBaliviere, Union, and Kingshighway, linking the neighborhoods and creating access at major activity and connection points.
Utilize all the standard BRT features like level boarding platforms, shelters with benches, clear signage, maps, and live arrival times to create a high-end transit experience.
4. Add a Union MetroLink Station.
The DeBaliviere and Central West End stations are located nearly 2 miles apart from each other, creating a pretty substantial coverage gap between them. The neighborhood to the north has a lot of high density apartment and condo buildings, but despite living 1/4 mile from the MetroLink line, residents here have to walk a mile or more to reach the nearest station. Adding a station at Union would solve this issue and create access for many. And since the lid over MetroLink has to be rebuilt, now is the time to do it.
Adding a MetroLink station in addition to BRT stations and complete bike infrastructure would create a multi-modal transit hub at Lindell and Union. If this were all built, this area would likely become very popular.
5. Build residential TOD on the North-West corner of the intersection.
With all this connectivity this area would become very high-demand, necessitating new high-density residential development. And there will be plenty of room for it if the exit ramp to Lindell is removed and the lid expanded. With high-density apartment buildings already along Union, this area can easily accommodate buildings from 5–15 stories tall.
Being part of a multi-modal transit hub, the plaza out front would become a busy and dynamic place, perfect for a cafe and small market on the ground floor of the development. Adding public art, benches, and other amenities will create a welcoming environment. Keeping the circle shaped design of plaza, though enlarging it to accommodate new transit, foot and bike traffic, would retain a connection to the past further adding to the sense of place.
The Future
Some of the above suggestions go beyond the scope of this project and would need to be carried out through additional projects. But now is the time to consider them and plan for them so that they are possible. To try and do them later, after completing this major project could be cost prohibitive and might not even possible for many decades to come. The City really needs to start considering the future of the region, the long-term consequences and potential opportunity costs when embarking on major projects like this.
The City is taking public feedback on their design and are having an open-house on January 30, 2024, from 4–7 p.m. at the Forest Park Visitors Center at 5595 Grand Drive in Forest Park.