Great Rivers Greenway and the City of St. Louis have announced that Bike St. Louis Phase III construction is underway. In early September, crews began to add an additional 40 miles of street routes for bicycles and upgrade 60 miles of the existing Bike St. Louis network.

Over the coming months, neighbors all across St. Louis will begin noticing new paint on the pavement to make room for more cyclists. The project includes shared lane markings, bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, shared use paths, bicycle “cut-throughs,” seven new bike corrals, and wayfinding signs throughout the city.

“Having transportation options like street routes for bicycles is a priority for the City of St. Louis,” said Mayor Francis Slay. “Together with Great Rivers Greenway and the cycling community, we want to create safe and convenient paths for more people to leave their cars at home and get out to bike around our city.”

The city began creating Bike St. Louis in partnership with Great Rivers Greenway in 2004. Once Phase III is complete, the city will have a total of 135 miles of marked street routes for bicycles. The bike route markings and signage aim to alert drivers and cyclists to road sharing to make for a safer riding experience for cyclists.

Funded through a $1.1 million federal grant and local matches by each partner, Bike St. Louis is the result of engagement with an advisory committee of community stakeholders, cyclists, and non-profits to create a more bike-friendly city. The collaboration included gathering feedback from residents of the region to help guide the planning and design of Phase III.

“Giving new and upgraded options to those who ride their bikes in the city is one more way we’re making the St. Louis region an even better place to live,” said Susan Trautman, Executive Director at Great Rivers Greenway.

To date, the project has developed 95 miles of street bicycle routes in the City of St. Louis, with additional extensions into Clayton, Maplewood and Kirkwood. Construction is expected to be finished in Spring 2015. Homes along the routes have been notified in case of any disruption in parking. For maps and additional information about Bike St. Louis, visit http://bit.ly/BikeSTLPhaseIII.