North County Residents See Proposals for Northwest Parkway Project

Monday evening, approximately 400 people from North St. Louis County turned out to the for the Northwest Parkway project public meeting.

Residents had an opportunity to get an overview of the project and its alternative methods that would address the goals and purpose of the project. At the end of the walk-through presentation, residents had the opportunity to write their comments on the thought of the presentation.

The purpose of the project is to address traffic, transportation and flood-related concerns of what is now called the Northwest Parkway corridor, which runs through , Hazelwood, Bridgeton and part of unincorporated north St. Louis County. The St. Louis County Department of Highways and Traffic hosted the meeting.

The goals of the project are to address flood-related issues, enhance safety, provide better access from North County to other economic areas such as St. Charles and Riverport and help reduce traffic, according to St. Louis County Project Manager Adam Spector.

“We want to make sure we consider all angles,” Spector said about the public meeting. “This gives us insight into values of local communities and make sure we’ve thought of everything.”

Residents from all over North County poured into the JFK gym to examine maps and alternative proposals for the corridor. After two hours into the presentation, Spector said he had heard a number of things from those who had come out – both positive and negative.

“This isn’t going to be a popular vote,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for us to see what people think to inform our decision-making process.”

Willo Shields of Florissant, who lives along the corridor, said she came out because of her concern for  property owners and the environment. She said with whatever is done she wants to see it done with the least expense and disruption to the area as possible.

Judy Schneider of Hazelwood said she thought the department had come up with a number of great plans to improve transportation, and she was happy to see a number of possible alternatives thrown out. But she wasn’t pleased with the timeline for the projec.

“I’m sad to hear it’s going to take so long,” she said. “It would be better to see it in five years compared to 10-15.”

The timeline presented show the final approved alternative wouldn’t be completed until mid 2014 with actual finishing of the project itself done close to 2020.

For residents unable to make the meeting, the St. Louis County Department of Highways and Traffic will have all plans from Monday night’s meeting available online with a comment section. In addition, residents can contact Adam Spector at aspector@stlouisco.com for questions or concerns regarding the project. All written comments must be received by Sept. 14.