Our Centennial Greenway Project for Great Rivers Greenway in St. Charles County, MO has won an Honor Award in ACEC Missouri’s 2024 Engineering Excellence Awards!
Lochmueller assisted Great Rivers Greenway (GRG) with the design phase and construction administration of the Centennial Greenway Extension from Christy Drive to Schaefer Park along Old Highway 94 in St. Charles County. In addition, Lochmueller worked in partnership with the cities of St. Charles and St. Peters to plan the next segment of the Centennial Greenway in St. Charles County. The overall goal was to connect the existing Centennial Greenway to the Katy Trail, the St. Charles Heritage Museum, Schaefer Park, and the newly paved walking path on McClay Road. Lochmueller’s design included the proposed trail, installing new curb-and-gutter, utility coordination, pedestrian signals, storm sewer improvements, and wayfinding signage.
The project incorporated innovative safety improvements including the installation of a modified traffic barrier along Old Highway 94 to separate vehicles from the greenway users. The new barrier protects not only pedestrians and bicyclists but also vehicles by acting as a traffic calming device, which lowers vehicular traffic speeds. A study noted that separated bicycle lanes with a vertical element, such as a concrete barrier, can reduce crashes by 50 percent. As a result, the greenway is a benefit to all modes of travel and the usage of the system has gone from approximately 10,000 users/year before construction to almost 40,000 users/years after construction.
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During the pandemic, the design and right-of-way acquisition phase schedules were challenged particularly when it came to having frequent coordination meetings with stakeholders. Lochmueller overcame these challenges by working closely with GRG project managers, city representatives, and GRG’s right-of-way negotiator to set and meet reasonable expectations and to include remote technology to engage with the public.
This project demonstrates that partnerships can be formed between public agencies such as GRG and municipalities to produce projects that benefit both the local community as well as the broader region. From the safety it provides to the overall social and economic impact in the surrounding communities, Lochmueller is confident that the City of St. Charles and the surrounding regions will enjoy all benefits associated with multi-use trails for years to come!
