Last modified: Thursday, June 14, 2007 9:12 AM CDT

A trail of two cities: Manchester OKs plan to connect with Ballwin

By Mary Shapiro

The Manchester Board of Aldermen has approved a concept plan for a community-wide trail plan for that city and Ballwin.

Judy De Rose, Manchester's director of parks and recreation, told the board June 7 this trail-system plan, to run connecting trails throughout both cities, was developed because of a survey that was published in the city's newsletter. The survey asked residents which activities they thought were important in the city, and the response was overwhelming that they want a trail system.

Jim Pona and Associates was hired in 2005 to work with Manchester and Ballwin on the plan.

De Rose said the plan is to partner with Ballwin so there will be more grant money available for the trail project.

Pona told the board there are two principal components of the Manchester portion of the trail system: trails and on-street bikeways. He said the trails are multipurpose, usually to be along creeks.

Hopes are for an early project to encompass the north section of Paul Schroeder Park, 359 Old Meramec Station Road, which is close to and will become an important part of the Grand Glaize Greenway. That greenway extends from Howard George Drive west and northwest to the Ballwin Golf Course, 333 Holloway Road, Pona said.

He said this also could complement the development of a Howard George connector trail near the east edge of the greenway, which will provide an easy connection to a proposed trail along Highway 141.

A Lafayette Center shopping center trail connection to the Grand Glaize Greenway could create "a very visible trail area along the Manchester Road corridor" and a potential connection to the covered bridge in the city's Seibert Park to the south, Pona said.

He said the Fish Pot Greenway, an extension to the Meramec Greenway connector trail, is being developed by Great Rivers Greenway along the entire Meramec River corridor.

"This could be a gateway to the Meramec Greenway for residents of Manchester and Ballwin in the future," Pona said.

He said the Meramec River Greenway is part of the great river ring trail which covers about 60 miles or more and encompasses all the major rivers and tributaries in the area.

Also, a new trail section is proposed for the planned Manchester Highlands shopping center at the northeast corner of the intersection of Manchester Road and Hwy. 141.

Pona said the plan includes a number of other trails on subdivisions' common ground which could prove feasible with the approval of trustees. He recommended those trails be developed only if there is wide local support for them.

Part of the plan also calls for bicycle routes on roads, and Pona advocated a "share the road" directional signage system which would make it safer for bicyclists to ride along these roads.

But he said no city streets are recommended for actual striped bicycle lanes because of the unfeasibility of acquiring additional road right-of-way -- a 5-foot wide striped area within the road for one-direction travel -- that it would take in order to have them.

However, bike lanes should be considered in future subdivision road systems, he said.

Pona said the estimated annual maintenance cost for asphalt trails is estimated at $15,000 per mile. The estimate for nature foot paths is $3,500 per mile. Costs for on-street shared-use bikeways would be even less because they involve only signage.

The cost for maintaining asphalt trails includes police patrols, trash removal, mowing, trimming, and tree and shrub maintenance.

In response to Alderman Don Ryan's question about an elevated pathway under the Fishpot Creek viaduct at Hwy. 141, Pona said there were two such structures included in the program: one an underpass at Grand Glaize Creek from Howard George to Old Meramec Station Road, and another a planned bridge on Hwy. 141 at Fussner Park. That overpass, from Howard George to Fussner Park, is estimated to cost $1.5 million, Pona said.

Pona said if Manchester would consider partnering with Ballwin to construct an elevated pathway on Manchester Road near New Ballwin Road, the total cost of that project could be $3 million - of which $1 million could be for the Manchester portion.

De Rose outlined the first new trail area leading from the Schroeder Park backstop area, around the perimeter of the ball field to Old Sulphur Springs Road. That project likely could be started in 2008, she said, depending on grant funding.

She suggested bike trails for allowing children to go to aquatic centers of both cities.

Pona also suggested a trail underpass at Fishpot Creek and a possible culvert at Lafayette Center shopping center that would allow a greenway to pass underneath and connect with Seibert Park.

De Rose said she has talked with the park directors of Town and Country, Chesterfield, Ellisville, Valley Park and Kirkwood. Additional cities may be involved eventually, she said.

"One of the goals is to be able to bike from Manchester to the Katy Trail," De Rose said.

She said she hopes a grant application of $450,000 could be submitted for the projects in the fall.

You can contact Mary Shapiro at mshapiro@yourjournal.com.