ST. LOUIS – St. Louisans are beginning to spot the first evidence of progress across city streets as Mayor Jones’ Safer Streets campaign starts to roll out.
After years of residents voicing concerns about dangerous speeding through their Old North St. Louis neighborhood, the City of St. Louis has responded by debuting the first installation steps for speed humps along key streets in the area.
This long-awaited measure comes after numerous complaints and even a few close calls that left the community on edge.
Ann Norman is an Old North St. Louis resident and survived a hit-and-run accident in the area.
“I thought someone hit my side with a brick but they didn’t; it was a car and I flew up in the air and came down on my forehead,” she said.
At least three new speedhumps are being installed throughout the next week on St. Louis Avenue and 14th Street, home to Crown Candy Kitchen, which is a business frequented by mostly families and children. The business has had numerous issues with cars rolling through the stop signs next to their building, endangering patrons.
In December 2023, the city adopted new traffic calming guidelines to encourage the implementation of techniques like road diets, mini roundabouts, and other design strategies aimed at reducing vehicle speeds while enhancing pedestrian safety.
“People need to be careful before they cross the street here and look both ways because you never know when the cars are gonna come,” Deandre Bell, a nearby resident, said.
The city’s project website reports that, “the city is investing more than $46 million between 2024 and 2026 to make traffic calmer and smoother on about 30 miles of arterial city streets. Improvements will include lane reconfigurations and reductions, ADA improvements, additional shared and protected bike paths, shorter crosswalks, and pavement resurfacing.”
A big endeavor that just went out for bid is the 20th Street cycle track. The project will reconstruct just over 1.5 miles of 20th Street between Market Street and St. Louis Avenue, consisting of an additional separated bicycle path.
Kingshighway, Grand, Jefferson, and Union will all be improved as well, with the city already holding several open houses for the community to better understand the construction.
