Mayor Francis Slay Welcomes Federal Transit Administration to St. Louis for Tour of Proposed North/South MetroLink Alignment

ST. LOUIS-- The top administrator for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is coming to the City of St. Louisto tour the proposed North/South MetroLink alignment. Carolyn Flowers recently awarded Bi-State Development a nearly $375,000 grant to study the development impacts this line will have on City neighborhoods.

Mayor Francis Slay will lead a driving and walking tour highlighting opportunities along the 17-mile route set forth in the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) application to advance this critical project. The plan enjoys regional support from the St. Louis Regional Chamber, Civic Progress, and the St. Louis Promise Zone.

Bi-State will use the FTA grant to plan for ways that diverse populations can benefit from the proposed MetroLink light rail line that will connect Downtown St. Louis with the City's northern and southern limits. A significant portion of the corridor, particularly on the north side, is economically distressed and requires careful planning to attract development.

The FTA awarded the competitive grants to projects, like the North/South study, to help localities plan improved access to transit, jobs, education and services, and help revitalize communities by attracting new business opportunities, jobs, and housing. In addition, the program seeks to enhance connectivity of disadvantaged populations to essential services.

"Physical mobility enables social mobility," Mayor Slay said. "Having a chance at the American dream should not be dependent on where you were born, the color of your skin, or where you live. Unfortunately, it is. But public transportation can change that by catalyzing development in struggling neighborhoods, deconcentrating poverty, promoting healthy living, and making it easier for people to connect to jobs and resources to foster upward mobility."

The North/South MetroLink TOD planning also will tie neatly to the City's Project Connect work around the site of the future National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's West campus -- an area that currently has the lowest rate of car-ownership in the City.

WHO:            
Mayor Francis Slay
Carolyn Flowers, FTA Administrator
Mokhtee Ahmad, FTA Regional Administrator
Jim Wild, East-West Gateway Executive Director  

WHEN:  
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
10:30 a.m.

WHERE:       
Flance Early Learning Center
1908 O'Fallon St.
St. Louis, MO 63106