ST. LOUIS — Faced with rising construction costs and a lack of federal funding, St. Louis officials and Bi-State Development are pivoting from a promised light rail expansion to a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to connect the city’s north and south sides.
Officials are seeking public input this week on the proposal, which would run along the Jefferson Avenue or Florissant Avenue corridor. The project is intended to replace the “Green Line” MetroLink extension, a project residents have sought for decades.
In 2017, St. Louis voters approved a half-cent sales tax specifically to construct the light rail line from Natural Bridge Avenue to Chippewa Street. City officials say that while the mode of transportation is changing, the goal of unification remains the same…