West Florissant Great Streets project advances design amid extensive right‑of‑way work and condemnation

St. Louis County staff presented a detailed design and schedule update for the long‑running West Florissant Great Streets project, describing sidewalk and shared‑use path construction, intersection reconfiguration, and extensive right‑of‑way acquisition that has led to condemnation proceedings.

Glenn Henninger, division manager for Project Development, said the original Great Streets study (published in 2013) was divided into five segments; county funding will cover three segments focused on the southern portion and the north segment (segment 3) near Stein Road and the Dellwood Community Center is poised to move to construction.

Henninger described design features across the corridor: an east‑side shared‑use path, new west‑side sidewalks, narrowed travel lanes to calm traffic while retaining two through lanes in each direction in busier sections, medians and green space where feasible, new traffic signals with full pedestrian accommodations, and reworked channelization and smaller corner islands to improve sight lines for pedestrians and drivers. At some intersections the county will install truck turn aprons—raised curb areas that ease large‑vehicle turns while encouraging slower passenger‑vehicle turning speeds.

The county is shifting roadway alignment in places to create space for sidewalks and will remove underused right‑turn lanes to make room for trail or green space. Henninger said the Chambers intersection is a separate STP‑funded project and will be reconfigured with Australian right‑turn islands to improve pedestrian sight lines.

He warned that property acquisition is a significant hurdle: the project initially identified more than 90 parcels; many remain in condemnation when owners and the county have not agreed on price or impacts. "The condemnation process has hit some glitches... This project was supposed to be under construction a couple years ago," Henninger said. He added that county staff hope to begin construction next spring, but that outcome "hinges on getting that right away acquisition completed" and on court decisions for condemned parcels.

Why it matters: the corridor carries a mix of residential and commercial properties and has limited safe pedestrian crossings in places. The planned reconfigurations aim to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and transit users while managing access for businesses.

Next steps: complete property‑right acquisitions and related court processes, finalize design details with property owners and Metro on bus stop upgrades, then advertise the project for construction bids if the courts resolve acquisition barriers.