CLAYTON — St. Louis County was awarded an $18.2 million grant to make pedestrian-friendly improvements to a 1.5-mile stretch of West Florissant Avenue stretching from Ferguson to Dellwood.
The corridor, a major thoroughfare in north St. Louis County, has been a focus for redevelopment by regional officials following the unrest triggered by the police killing of Michael Brown in 2014.
That year, the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, St. Louis County, and the neighboring cities of Dellwood and Ferguson announced an ambitious plan to transform a 2.6-mile stretch of West Florissant, adding it to a list of “Great Streets” initiatives in the region.
The plan called for converting a sea of asphalt and strip malls along West Florissant into a more pedestrian-friendly avenue, improving pedestrian and cyclist access, increasing safety and promoting economic and community development. But federal funding for construction of the project has been hard to come by.
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The federal grant awarded Tuesday, which comes through a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant, will help pay for road and sidewalk renovations, traffic signal upgrades, crosswalks and medians along West Florissant, from Stein Road to Ferguson Avenue. The stretch of road carries an estimated 30,000 vehicles and more than 1,000 pedestrians a day.
“Designating and funding West Florissant as a Great Streets project in the cities of Ferguson and Dellwood will enhance mobility and safety on the route and, consequently, improve economic conditions in a community that for many years has endured disinvestment and neglect,” County Executive Sam Page said in a news release.
U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis, and Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, also celebrated the grant announcement.
“With this funding, one of the most dangerous stretches of West Florissant Avenue will be transformed into a prime commercial space and pedestrian walkway,” Bush said in a news release.
“Investing in transportation infrastructure is one of the most important things we can do to create a stronger foundation for economic growth and improve the quality of life in local communities,” Blunt said.
The federal grant for West Florissant Avenue follows recent developments along the corridor announced as part of the “Great Streets” transformation plan.
In 2019, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis opened a $12.4 million “Teen Center of Excellence” club in Ferguson designed to serve neighborhood children. The following year, Mercy health system broke ground on construction of a new health clinic next door meant to provide primary care and women’s services, as well as behavioral health care, social services.
In August, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis broke ground on a $10 million senior living complex and community center along the roadway in Dellwood. And Refuge and Restoration, a not-for-profit organization, this year publicized a goal to turn a former strip mall in Dellwood into a community center.