A project to create a traditional intersec tion at Forest Park Parkway and Kingshighway has gained the approvals neede d to proceed. Work is expected to begin in July or August\, 2016. The curre nt configuration\, with Forest Park Parkway running under Kingshighway\, pr esents challenges for drivers accessing the medical center\, the Central We st End and Forest Park. Eastbound Forest Park Parkway drivers cannot turn o nto northbound Kingshighway. Drivers on Kingshighway cannot access westboun d Forest Park Parkway from either direction.
“The configuration of Ki ngshighway and Forest Park Parkway does not lend itself to easy and safe na vigation for patients and families seeking to access this part of the campu s\,” says June Fowler\, BJC communications and marketing senior vice presid ent. “This much-improved intersection is an integral component in the renew al of the medical campus and will provide a new front door to the Central W est End and medical center from the west.”
Safety near the Euclid int ersection is a concern that should see relief when the new intersection is completed. Today\, faster eastbound traffic emerging from beneath Kingshigh way mixes with slower eastbound vehicles. The volume of pedestrians crossin g Forest Park Parkway adds to the already tenuous situation.
A relate d project a few hundred feet west of Kingshighway will reconstruct the Fore st Park Parkway bridge over the MetroLink tracks. That construction will be overseen by the city.
The $10 million project is funded with a $2.5 million federal grant (for the MetroLink bridge portion)\, $5 million from BJC and $2.5 million from Washington University School of Medicine.
T
he benefits
In August 2017\, the Barnes-Jewish north expansion will op
en\, substantially increasing the volume of patient care on the north end o
f the campus. The new intersection will help to reduce confusion\, improvin
g access to the medical center as well as the Central West End neighborhood
. Additional benefits include:
· Improved pedestrian experien ce
· Improved safety at the Forest Park Parkway/Euclid Avenue intersection
· Improved access to Forest Park with turn lane s from Kingshighway to Forest Park Parkway
· More visually ap pealing streetscape
· Slowing of east/west traffic benefiting pedestrian safety
· Reduced crisscrossing of vehicles on For
est Park Parkway near Euclid
Timeline and impact
Work is expected
to begin in July or August\, with Forest Park Parkway west of Kingshighway
closing to through traffic for up to a year. Local traffic west of the con
struction will be maintained. Detours will be marked. Contractors will keep
Kingshighway open in both directions. The existing Kingshighway bridge ove
r Forest Park Parkway will be left in place and filled underneath.
· Work will be completed during overnight hours\, 7 p.m.–5 a.m.
· North-south lanes on Kingshighway will remain open during the da y
· Limited north/south Kingshighway lane closures will occur during overnight hours
· East/west lanes on Forest Park Park way between Kingshighway Boulevard and Euclid Avenue will be limited to one lane in each direction
The interchange project is expected to be com pleted July 1\, 2017.
For more information\, please view the
Q&A. A photo of the new intersection is below.