Current Condition of Oakland Avenue/Kingshighway Closure
Proposed – NEW – Oakland Avenue/Kingshighway Closure Project
Nearly a decade ago, the City of St. Louis blocked off access to Oakland Avenue from Kingshighway to the Forest Park Southeast (FPSE) neighborhood. These barriers were put in place to combat cut-through vehicular traffic and never intended to remain at the intersection permanently.
For the last three years, the FPSE Infrastructure Committee has been working on the creation and implementation of an upgraded, permanent and attractive closure for this intersection.
“It’s all about perception and the broken window theory. FPSE is a beautiful neighborhood and this closure doesn’t accurately reflect that character,” Matt Green, Project Manager at Park Central Development said in an interview. “We want to make sure people know this is a community that is cared for and a great place to live. This is a small, albeit important step in beautifying the area and ensuring that people know the true FPSE.”
Through the project facilitation of Park Central staff and hard work from the FPSE Infrastructure Committee members, there will soon be an attractive closure at the intersection of Oakland and Kingshighway. Collectively, the community worked together to select all the features, the materials, and even the landscaping for this street closure project. Special recognition is due to residential engineer Ben Niesen and ex-Space architect Mackenzie McCullough (as well as staff from the St. Louis Board of Public Service), who have been instrumental to this project. It couldn’t be done without their volunteer hours and dedicated service to the Committee.
The new street closure will feature ornamental steel fencing and attractive landscaping that will help beautify this area and hopefully attract more residents and businesses into the FPSE neighborhood. This Oakland Avenue Closure project will be funded through Alderman Joe Roddy’s 17th Ward Capital funds and will soon be going out to bid. We hope you are on a lookout for this and many other beautiful infrastructure projects popping up in our neighborhood!
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