AroundTown Expanding MetroLink

Over 18 million people in St. Louis used Metro Transit public transportation in 2022, with 84% of riders using the system to get to work, and 20% to get to school. Though many rely on it as their primary means of transportation there has been a longstanding issue of the system’s limitations regarding its reach, particularly in North County. But now, after much discussion, the Jefferson Alignment MetroLink Expansion plan is underway.

On March 24, the Board of Commissioners of Bi-State Development, the organization that operates Metro Transit, approved a resolution and memorandum of understanding with the city of St. Louis to plan, design and construct the expansion.

One of first steps of the planning of the expansion is to get feedback from the community to determine what will best serve riders in the area.

There is an online survey about the first phase of the Jefferson Alignment Expansion and that is available through April 30. Feedback will be shared with the Federal Transit Administration as part of the public outreach process.

“The survey is a key element among many different factors that will help us determine the most successful route in St. Louis County,” Roach said. “It is just one of the many tools needed, which also include other practical prioritizations like engineering, right of way, cost and demographics.”

There will also be public meetings that are slated to begin later this spring.

With plans underway to provide better access to the MetroLink in North County, one might wonder why the area wasn’t initially included in the railway’s construction. The MetroLink expansion has been discussed since self-taxing initiatives were passed in St. Louis County in 2010 and the city of St. Louis in 2017, when residents called for the expansion of the system. Taulby refers to federal funding, among other factors that have influenced how the MetroLink was originally routed.

“Creating discernible expansion pieces that are aligned with the economic growth of the region and the needs of the community, and what will lead to a competitive federal application are all parts of a complicated formula towards expanding MetroLink,” he said.

Other forces behind the expansion are St. Louis City Mayor Tishaura Jones and St. Louis County Executive Sam Paige, who have pushed to improve MetroLink transit access in neighborhoods in need.

Regarding the timeline of the expansion, construction wouldn’t begin until preliminary steps are completed.

A Request for Proposal is out for a program management consultant that would also help Bi-State Development apply for the New Starts federal funds for the city of St. Louis portion of the MetroLink expansion which would be submitted this summer or next. After entering that process, applicants are given two years to plan the project. Then the project moves into the bidding phase for construction.

The cost to build the first phase of the expansion is estimated at $850 million.

Bi-State Development recognizes how vital the expansion is and wants the community it will serve to have a voice in the project.

“Sometimes, it’s a matter of notifying the public about what is being planned,” Roach said. “And, sometimes it’s soliciting the embedded knowledge of the community, and there is value in that. That doesn’t mean we are going to please every single person, but what we need to do is work towards consensus, which I think is an 80% or 90% solution.”