It will be safer to walk or ride a bike alongside a portion of Missouri State Road in Arnold next year.
A shared-use path, or sidewalk, will be constructed on the north side of the road between Sherwood Elementary School and Woodland Villas. The new path will be between 5 and 10 feet wide and will connect to two existing sidewalks, Arnold Project Engineer Judy Wagner said.
City Council members voted unanimously on Aug. 7 to pay Spencer Contracting of Arnold $812,851.14 to build the path. Spencer submitted the lowest of five bids, Wagner said.
The majority of the project’s cost will be paid through a Transportation Alternatives Program grant from the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. Wagner said the grant will cover $632,000 of the cost, and Arnold will pay the remaining $180,851.14.
“This project will improve the safety of our pedestrians,” she said. “It will promote safe walking in our community.”
Wagner said Ameren is expected to start relocating utilities in the area next month to allow the construction of the sidewalk to begin.
“We hope to have the path open to the public in the spring of 2026,” she said.
The approximately 1,500-foot pathway will create a continuous walkway from the Arnold Recreation Center complex, 1695 Missouri State Road, to the Arnold Commons shopping plaza, where a Dierbergs grocery store and Lowe’s home improvement store are located.
“This segment of shared-use path will provide a missing piece to connect the rec center complex, which includes Jefferson College and (the Jefferson County Library Arnold Branch), to the retail district of Arnold,” Wagner said.
The project also will allow a crosswalk from the north to south side of Missouri State Road to be positioned in a safer location, according to plans shared by Wagner.
There is currently a crosswalk near the intersection where Missouri State Road splits on a curve with Astra Way. That crosswalk is also close to a portion of Missouri State Road where parents park while waiting to enter the Sherwood Elementary School’s parking lot to drop off and pick up children at Sherwood on the south side of the road.
The new crosswalk will be relocated near the intersection of Missouri State Road and Oak Ridge Parkway. There will be no sidewalk on the south side of Missouri State Road at that location, so those walking to the school will need to walk in the grassy area next to the road.
“This will improve walkability to the Sherwood Elementary School,” Wagner said. “The crosswalk will be moved to a safer location, and we will be installing a proper crosswalk, including a flashing light.”