New Lane Configurations will Benefit Drivers, Bicyclists and Walkers
Area residents who walk, drive or ride bicycles on Morgan Ford Road between Holly Hills and the St. Louis City limits near Weber Road, will soon see some changes to the street configuration that will make it easier for everyone to safely share the road. In early June, this one-mile section of Morgan Ford will undergo what is called a “road diet,” which will reduce the road to two travel lanes, while adding a center turn lane and two buffered bike lanes and keeping two parking lanes. The road improvements are part of Bike St. Louis Phase III and are being administered by Great Rivers Greenway and the City of St. Louis.
When the striping on the pavement is complete, drivers and cyclists will have clear lane markings to know exactly where to safely share the road. The road diet will improve access for drivers when turning onto east-west streets from Morgan Ford and improve sight distance when turning onto Morgan Ford. The upgrades are designed to help decrease the risk of crashes and serious injuries for pedestrians by requiring them to cross only one lane of traffic at a time instead of two.
“While the changes to the roadway will take some getting used to, road diets offer benefits for everyone – people riding bikes, people driving cars and people on foot,” says Elizabeth Simons, Great Rivers Greenway Community Program Manager. “There is clear evidence from cities across the nation that show road diets reduce rear–end collisions and sideswipe crashes by slowing vehicle speeds by just three to five miles per hour.”
This change is part of Bike St. Louis Phase III, a partnership between Great Rivers Greenway and the City of St. Louis with the goal of encouraging cycling on City streets. Morgan Ford was selected to be included in the Bike St. Louis network based on feedback from St. Louis City residents who gave information via website and public meetings on the destinations (workplaces, schools, shopping, parks, transit stops, etc.) that they would like to be able to connect to by bicycle.
“With fewer than 15,000 vehicles per day on this section of Morgan Ford, the new road configuration will easily accommodate this traffic volume,” says Deanna Venker, City of St. Louis Traffic Commissioner. “The City of St. Louis is also improving the signal time on Morgan Ford Road to reduce traffic backup from intersections accommodated by the road diet.”
Once the changes on Morgan Ford are finished, Bike St. Louis Phase III will have completed 100 miles of street routes for bikes, with signage to guide and connect people to destinations across the City of St. Louis.
For more information about the project, visit GreatRiversGreenway.org.
About Great Rivers Greenway:
Great Rivers Greenway is a regional parks and trails district created by a vote of the people to connect St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. The organization is making the St. Louis region an even better place to live by connecting our region with greenways to conserve natural resources, enhance our economy and improve our quality of life with more transportation and recreation options. For more information, visit www.GreatRiversGreenway.org.
For More Information, Contact:
Pamela Powell
The Hauser Group
314.436.9090
OR
Emma Klues
Great Rivers Greenway
314.932.4919 office;
314.603.4782