ST. LOUIS — A top official said this week planned upgrades of major streets are likely to cost more than the city anticipated.
City officials have budgeted more than $40 million in federal pandemic aid to overhaul the roads: ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ wanted to repave major thoroughfares like Kingshighway, Jefferson Avenue and Grand Boulevard. They also wanted to install traffic circles and bumped-out curbs on those roads, and elsewhere, to slow down speeders and cut down on deadly collisions that have spiked in recent years.
But Rich Bradley, the president of the Board of Public Service, told an aldermanic committee on Tuesday evening that he had little confidence that all of those projects would get done on their current budgets.
People are also reading…
Similar work is running anywhere from 40%-50% over budget right now, he said in response to a question from Alderwoman Anne Schweitzer. The cost of asphalt and petroleum is way up.
“So no,†he told aldermen. “I do not think it is enough.â€
Bradley said staff will do as much as they can with what they have. “But am I 100% sure that we will get from limit to limit?†he said. “Absolutely not.â€
Schweitzer, of Boulevard Heights, was troubled by Bradley’s comments and said they should guide aldermen as they consider moving some unused pandemic aid money around in the coming months. While all of the city’s $500 million haul has been appropriated to various projects, most of it remains unspent.
Schweitzer said having safe streets — and a 911 system that doesn’t put callers on hold — are her constituents’ top priorities.
“I think that’s what needs to get funded and finished before anything else,†Schweitzer said.
The board is currently considering a plan from Mayor Tishaura O. Jones’ office to re-budget roughly $6 million to pay off residents’ medical debt, overhaul the zoning code, and implement some new anti-crime strategies, among other things.
An overview of St. Louis government, its history, structure and key leaders.
