Tag: trolley

Traffic jams around the the Skinker/Delmar intersection due to trolley track installation should be over according to The Loop Trolley website. Construction at the major intersection was completed a full day earlier than expected. Completion of the 2.2 mile track is expected this summer. Here’s an update on the trolley project:

Beginning on April 25, traffic was routed around the busy intersection in the heart of the Delmar Loop. After exploring options to accommodate both pass-through traffic and destination trips to the Delmar Loop, officials agreed that a full closure would have the least impact. Traffic signals along the detour route were re‐timed to handle the extra volume. The detour routes were monitored and traffic lights adjusted throughout the closure period to maintain efficient traffic flow.

More more than 85 percent of the Loop Trolley track and most of the light and OCS poles have been installed. Construction of the Loop Trolley began in March, 2015 and is scheduled for completion late this summer. The trolley is expected to begin operations in March 2017 following several months of training and safety testing.

ABOUT THE LOOP TROLLEY
The Loop Trolley is a 2.2-mile fixed-track vintage electric trolley system currently under construction linking University City and Forest Park, with a turnaround at the Missouri History Museum. Owned by the Loop Trolley Transportation Development District, the Loop Trolley promotes connectivity, environmentally friendly transportation and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods to enhance quality of life, increase tourism and spur economic development. The Loop Trolley will be an environmentally positive attraction, a prototype for connecting other areas in St. Louis through clean electric transit, and a source of pride for the metropolitan area.

For details and construction updates, visit www.looptrolley.com, facebook.com/looptrolley and twitter.com/looptrolley. Email info@looptrolley.com or call (314) 696-2147. For weekly updates, join our email list at  www.looptrolley.com.

Press release from the Loop Trolley website.

Cyclists traveling near the Delmar Loop are encouraged to avoid the recently installed Loop Trolley tracks and take a newly marked bike route.

The route starts at Delmar Boulevard and Eastgate Avenue, and travels west along Enright Avenue to Ackert Walkway. From there, cyclists may take the Centennial Greenway to campus or continue west to Kingsland Avenue. The route also runs south of the Loop along Loop South from the Centennial Greenway to Kingsland Avenue.

The route will be marked in the upcoming weeks with signs and painted “sharrows,” alerting drivers to bike traffic.

The tracks can be a challenge to negotiate, said Cheryl Adelstein, assistant vice chancellor for community relations and local government affairs at Washington University in St. Louis. Cyclists who drift into the trolley tracks may damage their wheels or get thrown from their bike.

“Washington University and University City are working together to make sure that our students, and the larger St. Louis community, can get to and around the Loop as safely as possible,” Adelstein said. “The new route is both a safe and convenient way to access the Loop.”

The trolley, which will connect University City to Forest Park, is scheduled to start service later this year.

Cyclists who ride on Delmar should:

• Cross trolley tracks at a 90 degree angle
• Brake slowly if tire gets caught in the track. Do not hit the brake or attempt to turn out of the track

For more St. Louis cycling news, events, and trails, link to Trailnet

Originally published in the Source