STL Partnership Holds Thriving Community Events in St. Louis County, City

Event examined transportation issues around Bellefontaine Road corridor

The Community Investment team at St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (STL Partnership) recently hosted two open houses that were part of the St. Louis Thriving Community Program (TCP). The open houses addressed transportation challenges around the major corridors of Bellefontaine Road in unincorporated Spanish Lake, Mo., and Riverview Drive, a road that is shared in St. Louis City and County.

With the upcoming opening of WildCare Park, a 425-acre expansion of the St. Louis Zoo in Spanish Lake, forecasted to generate nearly $600 million to the economy by 2034 and increase travel along Bellefontaine Road and Riverview Drive, improvements to the corridors are being examined and considered.

The first open house took place on Wednesday, April 9, where the community met at the Twillman House to discuss the future of Bellefontaine Road and share experiences with road safety, public transit needs and ideas for improving multimodal infrastructure.

The second open house occurred on Saturday, April 12, where residents met at Chain of Rocks Park and discussed plans for Riverview Drive, which connects the City of St. Louis to the future WildCare Park.

TCP is a technical assistance initiative of the U.S. Department of Transportation focused on addressing the transportation challenges faced by historically disadvantaged communities. The St. Louis TCP program was awarded to St. Louis County and is coordinated in partnership with the City of St. Louis and STL Partnership.