No need to apologize. To be honest with you, projects like this take time. The $10.3 million federal TIGER grant was announced in the fall of 2014. However, it wasn't officially awarded to Bi-State Development until about a year later in the fall of 2015. Once those funds were accessible, the project required necessary preparations and planning, such as environmental studies to be conducted. The project also had to be coordinated into Metro's overall construction schedule (i.e. it had to be done after the Eads Bridge Rehabilitation Project). This is also an infill station, meaning Metro has to coordinate construction while trains are in service. This also requires careful planning. As I have mentioned, the TIGER grant encompasses three major projects and these projects are all moving forward in the design phase. The good news is construction of the Boyle Avenue MetroLink Station will begin this summer. Passengers should expect the station to open sometime in 2018.
Thank yous should all go to Mr. Hibbard.wabash wrote: ↑Mar 09, 2017Thanks aprice. I didn't realize the CWE platform extension was a definitive part of this project. This is going to be quite the construction site this fall.aprice wrote:Remember, the new MetroLink station is grouped in with.... the extension of the Central West End MetroLink platform.
I know Matthew Hibbard has been dropping hints here and there that there would be CWE platform construction but I haven't yet seen any public documents about it.
Also, not gonna lie, I didn't realize he said this bit about the CWE station until you quoted it. I just skimmed it and Ctrl+C -> Ctrl+V
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Is anything else changing when the CWE platform is extended? I thought at one point there were discussions to redo the entire station?
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At this time, extending the MetroLink platform is all Metro plans to do at the Central West End MetroLink Station. We'll keep you updated -- on the blog -- if anything changes.
billikens&bricks wrote: ↑Mar 09, 2017Is anything else changing when the CWE platform is extended? I thought at one point there were discussions to redo the entire station?
What does extending the CWE platform do? I guess the platform could accommodate more people standing...but what difference does it make when the trains are the same size and with the same number of doors?
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The extension will address high passenger volume. This station experiences the highest ridership out of the 37 light rail stations in service today and the station experiences overcrowding at times. To alleviate this, initial plans call for the platform to be extended to the east. A wider platform will mean a change in how a passenger boards the train as the station platform will be longer than the current two-car train configuration. (Westbound traffic would use one part of the platform and eastbound passengers would use the other.) In the end, the extension will disperse passenger volume, improving safety and efficiency.
Oh OK, so like a staggered loading setup. Thanks for the explanation.
The 14th and Clark center is a pretty big undertaking. I've been watching them from my work and the amount of dirt needed to raise it and the foundation wall along the tracks is huge
I can't wait to have my quiet neighborhood union station metrolink stop back.
I work right next to the place so no it hasn't been 3 years (maybe 3 years from announced)
It's been a little over a year since breaking ground
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metr ... 708a3.html
They began the project in March 2014 by clearing the trees - regardless of when they claim to have "broke ground." The site has been a mess for over three years.joelo wrote: ↑Jun 06, 2017I work right next to the place so no it hasn't been 3 years (maybe 3 years from announced)
It's been a little over a year since breaking ground
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metr ... 708a3.html
http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/2014/05/c ... ting-redo/
The trees were removed for the same reason that trees were removed on the Arch grounds. Had nothing to do with the construction at that time but would have been removed either waybprop wrote: ↑Jun 06, 2017They began the project in March 2014 by clearing the trees - regardless of when they claim to have "broke ground." The site has been a mess for over three years.joelo wrote: ↑Jun 06, 2017I work right next to the place so no it hasn't been 3 years (maybe 3 years from announced)
It's been a little over a year since breaking ground
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metr ... 708a3.html
http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/2014/05/c ... ting-redo/
They were ash trees?
urbanreview said the text on nextstopstl (Metro's official blog) was to read as follows:
How does that have nothing to do with the construction?To redesign the property for the expansion, it was necessary to cut down the bald cypress and oak trees.
A coupla new renderings from the ground breaking two weeks ago:
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(With actual electrical polls for the Metrolink trains omitted)
I'm glad they're not doing the full build-out of bathrooms, bike storage rooms, a cafe, etc.... as previously envisioned. Cortex itself will offer more and more services and amenities over time. Putting those under Metro's purview seemed.... potentially ill-advised. I think the covered bike storage, covered waiting area (at least that's what it looks like) and signature station design strikes the right balance of amenity, utility, and limited maintenance/staffing requirements.
It's a lot of landscaping, but Cortex/BJC generally seems to do a fantastic job with that.
(With actual electrical polls for the Metrolink trains omitted)
I'm glad they're not doing the full build-out of bathrooms, bike storage rooms, a cafe, etc.... as previously envisioned. Cortex itself will offer more and more services and amenities over time. Putting those under Metro's purview seemed.... potentially ill-advised. I think the covered bike storage, covered waiting area (at least that's what it looks like) and signature station design strikes the right balance of amenity, utility, and limited maintenance/staffing requirements.
It's a lot of landscaping, but Cortex/BJC generally seems to do a fantastic job with that.
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Overall looks pretty good imo.
But anyone know the extent of the greenway portion of this project and how it might relate to the other related stuff in the area? I'm thinking specifically about the Trestle into the Foundry project and also whatever Koman is doing with the "greenway" they are funding along Sarah.
But anyone know the extent of the greenway portion of this project and how it might relate to the other related stuff in the area? I'm thinking specifically about the Trestle into the Foundry project and also whatever Koman is doing with the "greenway" they are funding along Sarah.
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On the top picture, does it look like there is a turnstile restricting access to only folks who have a ticket? Or at least a narrow gate where an official can check that? It looks like a little holding area also on the North side of the tracks where folks could stand after the turnstile if they need to wait for a train to pass. That holding area and walkway seems to do a little jog which forces folks to walk East briefly where they will see up the tracks toward any oncoming train, rather than being able to run straight across the tracks. But now I'm wondering why they didn't create a little jog between the tracks that forces folks to walk East briefly to look up the tracks before crossing after getting off the train.
Yeah... I'm definitely not seeing anything resembling a turnstile (thank god). As for a narrow gate, almost every station restricts access in someway, usually with a blue strip on the ground, so that you know you're entering a paid fare zone. That small structure just east of the platform access might just be a security station such as the one at Grand. As for the "holding area" are you talking about the canopy over the bike racks? I believe the jogs are required or encouraged by federal regulation. Hence why they had to rebuild the East Union Station platform access before moving the temporary bus stops there. I'm guessing there isn't a jog between the tracks because you're not usually in a hurry while leaving a train. Although Grand and a couple other stations do have that jog while leaving the platformgary kreie wrote: ↑Jun 18, 2017On the top picture, does it look like there is a turnstile restricting access to only folks who have a ticket? Or at least a narrow gate where an official can check that? It looks like a little holding area also on the North side of the tracks where folks could stand after the turnstile if they need to wait for a train to pass. That holding area and walkway seems to do a little jog which forces folks to walk East briefly where they will see up the tracks toward any oncoming train, rather than being able to run straight across the tracks. But now I'm wondering why they didn't create a little jog between the tracks that forces folks to walk East briefly to look up the tracks before crossing after getting off the train.
Umm... so beyond the ceremonial groundbreaking, has construction actually started on this? Because I just drove by and I saw a whole lotta nothin'.
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Absolutely nothing. They haven't moved in any equipment either. I think I heard that they thought they might start in July which seems like a tight timeline considering how improvements at other stations are long delayed.
Is there only one entrance to the platform? That would be annoying.