Study explores how St. Louis can expand public transportation efficiently

The economic well-being of St. Louis is tied to providing transportation to its residents, and a study commissioned and released by a St. Louis nonprofit, Citizens for Modern Transit, looked at how the St. Louis region can best fund an expansion of public transportation.

St. Louis is said to be already considering its options when it comes to improving its existing transportation infrastructure. No matter the solution chosen, the fact remains that these projects are expensive, and Missouri and St. Louis may choose not to fund any option at all.

A Transportation for America report based on the study analyzes how existing projects, including a 17-mile light rail line from North St. Louis to downtown and a 23-mile highway-running BRT line along I-64 downtown – best utilize a mix of federal, state and local funding to turn an idea of better transit for St. Louis into a reality.

The report also details ways that various projects, from bus to rail, could be funded, employing these St. Louis projects and others across the nation as guideposts.