Tagged: Gateway Arch

Updated with more detailed figures on funding

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) gave the public a look tonight at its plan to build what it calls a “lid” to connect downtown St. Louis with the Gateway Arch.

But before it breaks ground, MoDOT Engineer Deanna Venker said the agency has to take into account a whole range of potential impacts.

Missouri lawmakers have approved legislation that would allow residents in the St. Louis area to vote on whether to raise a local sales tax to help fund improvements at the Gateway Arch.

The measure would allow a local election on a 3/16 percent sales tax. Part of the money would go to the Gateway Arch, and a portion would go to local parks. It also would allow voters in the Kansas City area to decide on a 1/10th percent sales tax for parks, trails and greenways in Jackson County.

Nearly half of the trees on the grounds of the Gateway Arch will be removed and replaced with a different species.

The National Park Service said Thursday that more than 900 Rosehill ash trees will be taken out over concerns about the threat posed by the Emerald Ash Borer, a beetle that has killed millions of ash trees in 15 states. Officials at the Arch say the ash trees on the grounds are also showing signs of decline from urban factors like air pollution and less than ideal soil.