Page-Olive Connector and Route 141 Improvement Projects Go Too Far

Floodplain lawsuit

2010-02-18T12:55:00.000-08:00

St. Louis Public Radio aired the following piece. It might be closing the barn door after the horse has gone out, but maybe there's a glimmer of hope left for the floodplains directly in the path of the Page-Olive Connector??

Lawsuit filed against tax breaks for flood plain development

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio (2010-02-09)
ST. LOUIS (St. Louis Public Radio) - An environmental advocacy group is challenging a Missouri statute it says makes it too easy to develop in flood plains.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday on behalf of the Great Rivers Habitat Alliance challenges tax breaks the city of St. Charles gave to two developers who want to build office and warehouse space on 99 acres in the floodplain north of Interstate 370.

Under state law, a municipality must declare property blighted for developers to access most tax incentives. The lawsuit says the definition is unconstitutionally broad.

"I believe one of the blighting factors the developers use in this case, is there is a dead fish smell after the property floods," said Dan Burkemper, the executive director of the Great Rivers Habitat Alliance. "Now, we would contend that that happens within any floodplain because it's the nature of a flood plain."

The broad definition has turned the tax incentives away from their original intent, Burkemper said.

"The intent of these tax subsidies for developments was to truly redevelop blighted areas like brownfields and decaying urban areas, and what we've seen is that developers are not redeveloping those areas, they're developing open space because they can, and it's easier," he said.

The city of St. Charles and the developers did not return phone calls for comment.

In 2004, the Alliance filed a similar lawsuit against a development in St. Peters. The circuit court in Cole County ruled in favor of St. Peters in 2006, but the appeals court reversed that ruling in March 2008.
© Copyright 2010, St. Louis Public Radio

2010-02-08T05:20:00.000-08:00

$51 million. And that's just the start. This is urban sprawl at its worst. Not to mention abuse of taxpayer revenue, gross destruction of wetlands, oblivion to residents' concerns in the area...

St. Louis County picks design-build contractor for Olive-Page portion of Hwy. 141
St. Louis County officials on Feb. 4 opened the three bid proposals for the design-build portion of the Page Ave.-Olive Blvd. Connector section of the Hwy. 141 expansion project.

South County-based KCI Construction Co.’s proposal of $51,995,000 for the design-build portion was the winning bid. Millstone Bangert and Fred Weber also submitted proposals.

“We had three great teams competing for this project, and the apparent winner came in more than $6 million under our estimate,” St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley said. “That’s a victory for taxpayers.”

Because American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds are being used, the Federal Highway Administration and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) still must give final approval and will have oversight to ensure the project meets federal requirements.

The proposal includes the “design and construction” portion of the work, which St. Louis County officials estimated at $58 million.

“We’re talking about a significant savings of public money,” Dooley said. “But just as importantly, we’re talking about a new six-lane road that will benefit our community for the next 50 years. This project is vitally needed.”

St. Louis County officials expect bulldozers to be in the field later this year, with work scheduled for completion in 2012.

Dooley said that several hundred jobs are expected to be created as a result of the project.

“These are good-paying jobs,” Dooley said. “That’s great news – especially in our present, challenging environment.”

St. Louis County will use $20 million in federal stimulus funds to help pay for its share of the work. The cities of Chesterfield and Maryland Heights each will contribute $5 million. St. Louis County will issue bonds to cover the rest of the expense.

MoDOT officials opened bids on Feb. 5 for the portion of the Hwy. 141 project that is to be expanded north of Hwy. 40 and south of Olive Blvd. MoDOT officials will review the bids and the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission will award the contracts later this month.

Get our your wallets...

2009-11-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

You Paid For It: Residents Speak Out Against Rte. 141 Project

(Typos courtesy Fox news)

CHESTERFIELD, MO (KTVI-FOX2now.com) - In this You Paid For It report, a dramatic move by MoDOT to push forward with it's Route 141 extension through a neighborhood despite a desperate attempt by angry Chesterfield residents to derail it. MoDOT plans to redo the intersection of 141and Ladue Road as part of the 141 extension through West County.
But residents say the MoDOT plan is too elaborate will create too much disruption to the neighborhood and cost taxpayers too much money. After being rebuffed by MoDOT St. Louis Area District Engineer Ed Hassinger, they've taken their cause to Hassinger's bosses: the Missouri Transportation Commission.
Chesterfield homeowner Emil Deluca is one of the trustees for the Green Trails subdivision which is fighting the plan. His group traveled all the way to a commission meeting last week in Sikeston, Missouri to tell commissioners they should over-rule Ed Hassinger.
Deluca says, "It was our last place to present our concerns to the Missouri Department of Transportation."Deluca says MoDOT did agree to made some minor modifications to it's proposal but no major changes. MoDOT is getting $95 million federal stimulus dollars for the Olive to Ladue Road section of the 141 extension.
Investigator Elliott Davis asked Deluca, "What do you think is the likelihood you'll be able to change the current MoDOT plan?"
Deluca answered, "Almost none, almost none. They've made up their mind that this project They're too afraid that if they try to make a change now they'd loose their stimulus money."
Back in August, Ed Hassinger made this comment about the neighborhood's concerns.
"We talked with the neighborhood. We understand their concerns but we're going to try to work with them as much as we can. But the fact of the matter is we're going to build and interchange there."
Meanwhile, there has been a new move by MoDOT to take the property it needs from the Green Trails subdivision. Deluca and other residents got a letter from MoDOT saying the agency was filing a class action condemnation suit to acquire that portion of the common ground needed for the project. That would clear the way for the agency to push on with its $95 million dollar plan.
"If you don't raise your concerns, nobody is going to ever pay any attention to us. And I think we surprised MoDOT because what they've been used to is people all over this state accept them as the defining authority. And then when they come up with a debacle like this people just weren't paying attention until it was just too late."

Pick your sound wall!

2009-11-02T13:18:00.000-08:00

The Missouri Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting to discuss the construction schedule for the Route 141 project and to show the locations of sound walls along the project. In addition, the community will be able to vote on the type and color of the soundwall constructed along the Route 141 project. The public meeting is November 10, 2009, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Parkway Central High School, 369 N. Woods Mill Road, Chesterfield, Mo., 63017.

Blue Heron along Creve Coeur Creek, interesection of Creve Coeur Mill and St. Louis Waterworks Roads

2009-10-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

Snowy Egrets at the Terra Vista Lake known as DB-6 on the Page-Olive Connector EA/Location Study

2009-10-14T04:54:00.000-07:00

Points of interest for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

2009-10-14T04:41:00.000-07:00

A project of this magnitude demands that an Environmental Impact Study be done. The current Environmental Assessment that expired in 2002 is insufficient.
Construction of a four-lane highway down the center line of Creve Coeur Creek could have devastating impacts to the creek’s beneficial uses (protection of aquatic life including human health protection for fish consumption, swimming and livestock and wildlife watering [per Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources, May 26, 2009].
USACE: “According to the EA, no species of conservation concern, including State and Federal listed threatened and endangered species, were observed during field reconnaissance of the study area. In addition, the report stated that there is no formally designated critical habitat within the study area.”

a. St. Louis County Environmental Assessment (4/16/09): The following Federal and State listed species have been observed during field reconnaissance of the study area:American bittern, Snowy egret, northern harrier, king rail, peregrine falcon, loggerhead shrike, pied-billed grebe, least bittern, little blue heron, black-crowned heron, sora rail, common moorhen, marsh wren, Henslow’s sparrow, Virginia rail, great egret, cooper’s hawk. yellow-headed blackbird, black tern. In addition, the area is potential habitat for the Indiana bat.
The increase in impermeable surfaces caused by the project will exacerbate flooding already occurring in the area.
The chosen alternative (Alternative 4) will have the most detrimental effect on the environment with high impacts to the floodplain.
Alternative 4 is the most expensive of all alternatives.
Pollutants removed from the elevated roadway via runoff will be channeled into the creek and adjacent wetlands.
Erosion to bluffs along the western edge of the project area, already a serious problem, will increase due to construction of and vibrations from the roadway.
St. Louis County’s representatives Sheryl Hodges, John Hicks and Glenn Henninger have stated that the wetland will be moved for two and one half years and then moved back to its original location. That is not stated in this application.
The new highway will have negative impact on property values along the project area. Current studies show 17-42 percent decrease along St. Louis highway projects for like home style and home price.
The cultural resources in the area were obviously ignored, thus being disturbed or destroyed by recent development allowed there. There has been no guarantee that the current evaluation will result in protection from further damage.
Traffic studies conducted by Crawford, Bunte, Brammeier show that traffic to accrue from this construction is foreseen worse than currently indicated in less than twenty years.
Economic studies show that the development planned for the Howard Bend floodplain is mostly retail. Economic indicators show a downhill trend in retail developments as such effecting local economies due to lack of industry and increase of minimum wage earners making less and relying on government assistance. The destruction of farmland will lessen the local economic impact for every local dollar spent by 40 percent.
There is no amount of paint or intricate concrete design that will make this bridge appealing in this natural setting. There has been no proven benefit to the fish and wildlife in the area. More concrete and destruction of watershed will only increase the already increasing flooding in the area.

Army Corps of Engineers permit application

2009-10-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

St Louis County has applied for their Clean Water Act Section 404 permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. They need this permit to be able to fill in the wetlands where their portion of the highway is proposed to be constructed and thus need it to go forward. The 404 permit is still in the public comment phase, meaning it is not final and has not been granted, but the Army Corps is soliciting public input about whether or not the permit should be granted. You can see the permit here.

The comment period is open until October 16, 2009. Comments can be submitted as detailed in the permit application (to the Army Corps address on the first page of the permit). Please submit comments -- any personal experiences you have with flooding in the area in/near where the road is proposed to be built, or anything else that you feel is inaccurate in the permit application would be important to comment on. Additionally, as part of the 404 permitting process, the Corps allows interested parties to request a public hearing on a permit application (public hearings are not routinely held as part of the 404 process, but can be held by the Corps if they so choose). A public hearing would be another place to have our voices heard, and would obviously do a little bit to slow the project down, so it's important that we let the Corps know that we want one.

2009-09-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

Letter to the editor of the Post-Dispatch, published 9/21/09:

Regarding "Chesterfield accepts 141 work, tries to limit impact" (Sept. 13): Here are some questions that everyone should be asking about the Highway 141 project:

— What health problems will occur from routing a six-lane highway directly over an open source for our drinking water?

— How was the Missouri Department of Transportation able to use an expired environmental assessment that doesn't include any newer development?

— What will happen when construction stirs up toxic chemicals in the soil and creek from Parkway's non-regulated reclamation facility?

— Why isn't the mayor insisting an environmental impact statement be done?

— There are legal appeals and lawsuits pending, so what happens when the deadlines for federal funding can't be met?

— St. Louis County and MoDOT have not acquired all the land needed; how are they able to start construction and how much land are they planning to condemn and take by eminent domain?

— How can they start construction when all permits needed are not secured?

— Do Chesterfield residents know they are paying $15 million for this extension, $10 million for prettier bricks and $5 million for the northern section of the road itself. That is on top of the money they are paying as a resident of the county. How much more are we going to take? The mayor of Chesterfield tells us not to fight because that makes it easier for him, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't fight. The question isn't why we would fight; it's why wouldn't we?

Kim Cuddeback — Maryland Heights
Co-founder, Maryland Heights Residents for Responsible Growth

Mayor John Nations against Chesterfield

2009-09-14T03:55:00.000-07:00

From the Post-Dispatch: Chesterfield mayor on the front lines of Highway 141

Nations, you don't get it. Residents don't want the project stopped. What they want is due process.

Building a 6-lane elevated highway on top of and through high-quality wetlands, demolishing a homestead that's eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, blowing off warnings from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, not conducting an Environmental Impact Study, beginning work without permits and without all right-of-way acquisitions completed, spending much, much more money than is necessary ($72 MILLION FOR FIVE MILES) ----- this is absolutely irresponsible, Mayor.

Lies

2009-09-10T17:24:00.000-07:00

Crews have been starting extremely loud work on the bluffs of River Bend Estates at 4:40 a.m. This work has awoken residents and children one-quarter and one-half mile away from the work site.

No one has permission to work on River Bend Estates property.

St. Louis County states that MSD is doing utility work for the new 141. MSD, when inquired about this, says MSD is not doing work in the area at all - that it's the County doing the work.

Also, MoDot contributed to the untruths by issuing the following press release:

Traffic Alert: Utility grading work starts Tuesday for Hwy. 141 project
The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and its contractor, Dave Kolb
Grading, starts grading work in preparation for the Hwy. 141 relocation project
that begins early next year.
Crews will start grading north of Olive Blvd. near Woodchase on Sept. 8 to prepare for utility relocations needed as part of a project to upgrade and move Hwy. 141 further east.
The center turn lane of Olive Blvd. will be closed near Woodchase and just east of Toreador; however, drivers at those locations will be able to access Olive Blvd. Drivers can expect heavy truck traffic crossing Olive Blvd. Crews will not be working on the roadway between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. weekdays, and 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. weekends to minimize noise for local residents.
The $742,000 job will excavate north of Olive Blvd., build an embankment south of Olive and generally grade the area south of Olive to prepare for utility work. The project is funded using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (economic stimulus) money.
Plan ahead to avoid work zones by calling 1-888-ASK-MODOT or visiting modot.org.

Insignificant... really?

2009-08-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

MoDot and FHWA have issued a FONSI (Finding Of No Significant Impact) for the Page-Olive Connector. This despite never conducting an Environmental Impact Study and the voicing of strong concerns voiced by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

This does not bode well for the wetlands, Creve Coeur Creek and Creve Coeur Lake. St. Louis County says it will try to minimize impact to these resources and "Some impacts may require mitigation such as construction of new wetlands near the project area to replace those that are impacted by the project."

That just doesn't gibe with DNR's statement: "Construction of a four-lane highway down the center line of Creve Coeur Creek and its riparian zones could have devastating impacts to the creek's beneficial uses."

Devastating, yet insignificant?!

Tax payers, do you also find paying back the $130 million cost of these projects to be insignificant?

Farm Aid to take place on threatened farm land!

2009-07-17T04:20:00.000-07:00

Help us out here, Willie Nelson.

"Farm Aid has deep roots in the Midwest that reach back to our first concert in Illinois in 1985," said Farm Aid president Willie Nelson. "I'm looking forward to bringing my friends together on the Farm Aid stage to celebrate family farmers and the crucial work they do. Farmers do so much more than bring us the good food we all want to eat. America needs family farmers to revitalize our economy and make our country healthy."

We're so struck with the irony of this year's Farm Aid being held on farm land that's being targeted for commercial development. The Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre sits in the midst of some of the most fertile land in America, which St. Louis County plans to run a superhighway through, followed closely by the destruction of every farm there.

"Completing the Page to Olive Connector will improve access to the Howard Bend area. Various studies have indicated the economic benefit of construction, sales, wages and other elements could be as high as 20 billion dollars over twenty years. The economic benefit will extend throughout the region and the state." ~from St. Louis County's Page-Olive Connector website.

We'll be right there with you on October 4th, Mr. Nelson. Will you be with us?

Department of Natural Resources has serious concerns about Page-Olive Connector

2009-07-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

In a 5/26/2009 letter to FHWA and MoDot, The D.N.R. states “Construction of a four-lane highway down the center line of Creve Coeur Creek and its riparian zones could have devastating impacts to the creek’s beneficial uses... Creve Coeur Creek has designated beneficial uses of protection of aquatic life, including human health protection for fish consumption, swimming and livestock and wildlife watering.”

It further adds "...there are a number of sinkholes located in the vicinity of the proposed project. These sinkholes are situated in Mississippian-age St. Louis Limestone at elevations ranging from 510 to 540 feet. The southern interchange and approximately 0.15 mile of the connection are underlain by the St. Louis Limestone. This portion of the project has the potential to be impacted by solution weathered limestone creating some collapse potential. Because of the varying nature of the solution weathering, a drilling program alone may not reveal all features - geophysical studies may be required as well."

Where is the geophysical study, St. Louis County? Where are the protectors of Creve Coeur Creek?

To read the DNR's concerns in their entirety, please click the link in the What You Need to Know section at right.

Goodbye, Lucky Girl

2009-07-07T07:42:00.001-07:00

Local agriculture no longer welcome in St. Louis County.

Highway 141 Needs An Environmental Impact Study

2009-07-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

Please sign the petition: Highway 141 Needs An Environmental Impact Study

More destruction in West County

2009-07-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

Let's just save time and cover all of West County in concrete. Read on...

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2009/07/wiegand_foundation_in_chesterfield_valley_under_threat_of_demolition.php

Prestien Farm and Arminia Cemetery

2009-07-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

Have a look at more pictures of Arminia Cemetery and Prestien Farm before MoDot destroys them all: http://picasaweb.google.com/ResponsibleProgress/PrestienFarmAndArminiaCemetery

2009-07-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

St. Louis County issued a project RFQ yesterday, indicating that they anticipate receipt of a signed Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in mid-July. Signing of the FONSI to be done by MoDOT and FHWA.

Thus far, our pleas for an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) are going ignored.

Please send your concerns as soon as possible to FHWA: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/modiv/roster.htm and MoDOT's mailto:Karen.Yeomans@modot.mo.gov

Mill Ridge conversation

2009-06-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

Chatted with a woman who lives in Mill Ridge this evening. She said she was told by the owner of that development that the County was going to build the Page-Olive Connector where existing Creve Coeur Mill Road lies and would be removing a few of the development's buildings closest to that road. She was unaware, as well as distressed to learn, that the County instead plans to build behind her development. She didn't think other residents in her development knew this either. She indicated that she, as well as some of her neighbors, would sign the petition demanding an EIS.

We need to inform these people what the truth is.

2009-06-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

From MoDOT 2002 Environmental Assessment:

23SL735 is a historic site located on the south side of Olive Boulevard. Recorded by Naglich and Nixon in 1989, site 23SL735 includes the Arminia Lodge Cemetery (circa 1874-1905) as well as the buildings at the neighboring Prestien Farm complex. The Prestien Farm complex is considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in the areas of architecture and agriculture.

Reading on in the EA, page 101:

All of the buildings at the farm complex are located within the area of proposed new right of way and would be demolished to make way for the proposed improvements. Impacts to the property cannot be avoided through redesign since the corridor at Olive Boulevard is so narrowly constrained that the highway would still bisect the farm and significantly alter the historic setting of the complex. There is no practical alternative for construction of the proposed highway improvements on the preferred alignment that would not result in an adverse effect on the historic Prestien property.

How can they do this?!

St. Louis County doesn't need a 'Road to Nowhere'

2009-06-21T10:51:00.001-07:00

Letter to the Editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, published 6/19/09

We are taxpayers and residents in West County, where St. Louis County and the Missouri Department of Transportation plan a new highway of four to six lanes from Ladue Road to the Maryland Heights Expressway. A recent editorial ripped the cover off the fiction that these two 1.7-mile road projects ever had anything to do with congestion. This is greed and laziness, plain and simple. Congratulations for accurate insight on the "Road to Nowhere."

It is the duty of MoDOT, St. Louis County traffic and our elected officials to watch out for our communities and support projects that maintain or increase our quality of life, not just fill the county coffers with money. Without even looking at other options to fix the problems along Woods Mill Road and Highway 141, they are expecting us to agree to having our homes, communities and green space blitzed for the roads; fork over $34 million per mile of new elevated road and two tunnels that do not have adequate, current environmental or financial analysis; and, inevitably, provide tax subsidies for their future "Mosquito Marsh Mall" down in the flood plains along Creve Coeur Mill Road and Maryland Heights Expressway.

In short, they want us to pay for their "progress" and build the road to it too.

Soon after, they'll expect a bailout when it inevitably floods and the "For Lease" signs overwhelm them. Why don't they just send us all an invoice and be done with it? Encourage re-development rather than new development; this would save money and local farms and showcase us as leaders of responsible development rather than government waste. We hope all readers who have had enough of irresponsible development will protest directly to St. Louis County and their own community city hall. Complain like a paying customer; that's what you are.

MoDot Double-talk

2009-06-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

The following is from one of the MoDot I-64 updates advising people on what to do if they hit congestion at rush (half)hour. Why wouldn't this be their solution for 141/Olive?

From:
info@thenewi64.org info@thenewi64.org

Date:
Wed, Jun 17, 2009 8:18 am

I-64 and City of Richmond Heights Issue Safety Reminders

· If you are experiencing congested travel, try shifting your commute time. A difference of 15-30 minutes can improve your trip during rush hours.

2009-06-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

MoDot intends to extend highway 141 from Ladue road to the Page extension in west St. Louis county. The purpose of this extension is to encourage commercial development of land owned by the cities of Maryland Heights, Creve Coeur, and Chesterfield. MoDot's motivation for expansion is jobs for their people and increased tax revenue for the cities. The city's hope is that nonexistent businesses will want to locate in a flood plain in the very part of the country with the highest rate of economic decline.

Their traffic model constraints, variables, and assumptions are a joke.

Some development of highway 141 may be needed to alleviate traffic congestion, but MoDot has produced a massive, wasteful plan for highway expansion that will misuse 65 million dollars of taxpayer money.

There is a glut of available commercial real estate and high unemployment in St Louis.

Job losses in the automotive and aerospace industries have had a substantial and long lasting affect on the St. Louis economy. Those jobs are gone. They aren't coming back. There are no industries with the potential to replace those lost jobs in the near term.

St. Louisans are furious that money is being spent to create a massive west county outer loop that will do no more than destroy what little remains of the wetland and wildlife corridors in the area.

Why can't a more reasonable highway extension be built with less cost incurred? Why can't some of this money be put to good use creating jobs for the region? Many people in the area realize St. Louis is a great rear view mirror city. They are leaving for Texas, the east coast, even overseas. Work has already begun on this massive waste of taxpayer funds. St. Louisans watched half of the city of Bridgeton get wiped off the map to add a runway to Lambert airport when a runway was not needed. When will we ever learn?

2009-06-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

St. Louis County and MoDot have plans to spend $170 million of our local and federal taxes to build a 6-lane elevated highway from Highway 40/I-64 (St. Luke’s Hospital) north to the Maryland Heights Expressway.

The County and MoDOT insist this highway is essential to relieve congestion. The truth of the matter is that developers and officials want to take this $170 million road and win tax-incentive-financing to “develop” the floodplains in the Howard Bend area.