MetroSouth Corridor

Planning for the MetroSouth Corridor began in 1993 with the initial study of the Cross County Corridor which analyzed alternatives to improve north-south movements through the central portion of St. Louis County.[1] The resulting light rail alternatives from this study were then broken up into three segments: segment 1 became the Blue Line and was completed in 2006, segment 2 became the MetroSouth Corridor, and segment 3 became the MetroNorth Corridor.[2]

Detailed planning and environmental impact study of the MetroSouth corridor south of Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 began in 2002 and was completed in 2005,[3] but a final decision on a locally preferred alternative was deferred due to the lack of a source of funding.[4]

At the conclusion of the MetroSouth study in 2005, three primary alignment alternatives remained under consideration: the Blue alternative, the Orange alternative, and the Purple alternative. From the Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 station, the Blue alternative would run southwards adjacent to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway terminating near Kenrick Plaza or continue to South County Center and then adjacent to I-55 terminating at Butler Hill Rd. The Orange alternative would follow the River des Peres until reaching I-55 where it turns to follow the highway southwards terminating at either Reavis Barracks Rd or Butler Hill Rd. The Purple alternative would extend the Blue Line by only 1 station, following the River des Peres and Watson Rd before terminating near Kenrick Plaza.[4]

• Moving Transit Forward Web site
• Metro South Route Study Page