Bicycle/Pedestrian Missouri River Crossing

As a result of feedback received to the draft I-29/I-35 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) directed the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to address bicycle/pedestrian accommodation across the Missouri River.

Findings and recommendations from the resulting feasibility study were presented at a public meeting on October 10, 2006 and the MARC Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) on October 13, 2006. MoDOT purposed to commit to fund one river crossing as part of the EIS. 

The River Crossing Task Force, made up of representatives from the local governments, MARC, and local user groups have provided input throughout the study and report conclusions.

Four locations were evaluted:

This evaluation included a reviewal of the locations, connections, adjacent land uses, and the opportunities and challenges of each. The report did not rule out any location, but it did identify the Heart of America Bridge as the preferred location while acknowledging the strengths of the other locations.

BPAC recommendations:

  1. We recommend that high quality, safe, practical and appropriate bicycle pedestrian accommodations be on or adjacent to the Paseo from Front Street to 16th Street, and that this be explicitly included in the RFP/RFQ for design and construction.
  2. We recognize that the Heart of America is currently an option for bicycle/pedestrian access across the Missouri River and needs significant improvements to increase the safety of all users; and therefore we recommend the necessary improvement be made as soon as practicable.
  3. MARC and MoDOT will work cooperatively with other appropriate stakeholders to further explore some of the crossings evaluated in this study as well as others.

After lengthy discussion the Total Transportation Policy Committee voted unanimously to approve revised recommendations to be included in the final EIS for the I-29/I-35 Corridor.

TTPC Recommentations:

  1. We recommend that high quality, safe, practical and appropriate bicycle pedestrian accommodations be on or adjacent to the Paseo from Front Street to 16th Street, and that this be explicitly included in the RFP/RFQ for design.
  2. We recognize that the Heart of America is currently an option for bicycle/pedestrian access across the Missouri River and needs significant improvements to increase the safety of all users; and therefore we recommend the necessary improvement be made as soon as practicable by MoDOT.
  3. MARC and MoDOT will work cooperatively with other appropriate stakeholders to further explore some of the crossings evaluated in this study as well as others.