Video and photos below.
The new Grand Boulevard bridge in Midtown St. Louis connecting North St. Louis to South St. Louis had a soft opening on 07/13/12. After hanging out on Washington Avenue for a short period, I ventured out on the bridge on 07/14/12.
The bridge, which carries more than 30,000 cars daily, is not completely finished, but one lane of traffic has opened in each direction until the project is finished. The $30-million bridge should be completely finished by the end of August.
The streetscape on Grand Boulevard from Grand Center – on the north - to St. Louis University Medical Center (SLUCare) - on the south - has become more vibrant in recent years and the new bridge as well as the newly-refurbished MetroLink Midtown/SLU station will only adding to the on-going transformation of Midtown St. Louis.
Below is my amateurish video.
• Video Link
List of Bridge Enhancements (See Photos Below)
-A new transit plaza. The plaza will be protected from weather. The new plaza will include:
-Seating, a vending area, landscaping and new lighting, including lit paving stones and lit artwork.
-A new bus turnout area between the MetroLink Station and the new plaza.
-New elevator and stair tower structures that connect the plaza below to the bridge bus stops above.
-Metro worked with an artist, Barbara Grygutis, who has helped make the design of the plaza more “organic” and welcoming, with touches like a decorative iron fence and using different colored paving stones, including some clear blue stones that will be lit from below with LED lights. Ms. Grygutis will also create a lit art piece in her unique style that will help enhance the area. Ms. Grygutis’s work on the project is funded from the 1% public art and enhancement funds as required by federal guidelines.
-Metro will be adding wind and rain shelters for Metro customers.
-The City is constructing bus pullouts that will get buses out of traffic when they stop.
-The transit stop is moving further north, closer to the end of the bridge and the main SLU campus.
-The City's project on Grand will replace the current six lanes with four divided lanes (with a landscaped center median), wider sidewalks, and better lighting.
(Photo credit, Pasa47, flickr.com)
(Photo credit, Pasa47, flickr.com)
(Photo credit, Pasa47, flickr.com)
(Photo credit, Pasa47, flickr.com)
(Photo credit, Pasa47, flickr.com)
(Photo credit, Pasa47, flickr.com)
(Photo credit, Pasa47, flickr.com)