West End residents have a new stretch of trail to run, walk and bike down.
This morning St. Louis City officials and members of the public celebrated the grand opening of the 1.3-mile addition to the St. Vincent Greenway, a larger pathway that will ultimately run from Forest Park to the University of Missouri St. Louis campus.
The newest segment runs through Ruth Porter Mall, named after the long-time advocate for civil rights and affordable housing.
“It really begins to tie-in the fabric of the city of St. Louis,” Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed said. “The various different neighborhoods, and making St. Louis a more walkable, bike-able community.”
Great Rivers Greenway, a publicly funded agency that is constructing a larger system of parks and trails throughout the region, built the trail.
The agency’s Executive Director, Susan Trautman, said trails like the one that opened this morning can help attract more people to live in the city.
“This makes St. Louis a better place to live,” Trautman said. “People are looking for that opportunity to walk and ride without having to get in a car and drive anywhere. So, at Great Rivers Greenway, we’re really working to make sure those options are available. We overlay our planning with Metro and other regional transportation systems so that it all connects together and it really makes St. Louis a better place to live.”
Once completed, there will be seven transit stops along the more than seven mile long trail, Trautman said.
