For those accustomed to passing over the Forest Park Parkway and MetroLink tracks using the pedestrian bridge in northeast Forest Park, a change in routine is imminent. The City of St. Louis Government announced on social media that effective today, the bridge will be closed. A collision with the bridge by a vehicle led to an engineering inspection, which determined that the damage to the bridge's superstructure was severe enough to warrant its immediate closure and future removal.
Preparations for dismantling the structure are underway, with the City of St. Louis Government stating demolition is "tentatively scheduled to begin Friday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. and be completed no later than Monday, Oct. 13, at 6 a.m." During this period, accesses to areas of Forest Park Parkway will be notably impacted, as westbound traffic will be closed from Kingshighway to DeBaliviere and eastbound from Union to Kingshighway. The pedestrians, during the demolition, will find themselves searching for alternate paths.
Despite this disruption, there remain options for foot traffic within Forest Park. According to the City of St. Louis Government's post, pedestrians can utilize the Grand Drive overpass coming from West Pine Drive or trek via Kingshighway and Hospital Drive, skirting the Glade construction site. The City's commitment to accessibility is echoed in their announcement of a future ADA-accessible path expected to open from Kingshighway to Steinberg Rink, aligned with the Glade's opening in late 2026.
To ensure ongoing pedestrian connectivity, City of St. Louis and Forest Park Forever have joined efforts, as they "collaborate to study pedestrian connectivity and recommend potential improvements to access other areas of Forest Park from this area," as noted by the City of St. Louis Government.
