Work to improve the South Second Street parking lot in Festus has begun.
The $1,070,074.60 improvement project is expected to be completed early next year and is designed to add parking spaces and make it easier to park in downtown Festus. When the improvements are complete, the parking lot will have 266 spaces, 18 more than the current 248 spaces. Of those 266 spaces, 10 will be for those with handicaps and four will be for veterans, City Administrator Greg Camp said.
During construction, parts of the parking lot will be closed, officials have said.
In April, the Festus City Council hired Jokerst Paving & Contracting of Festus to complete the following work: replace and overlay pavement; remove and install new sidewalk; install new lighting; update pavement marking and make other improvements to make it safer for pedestrians to get from the lot to Main Street businesses and events. Jokerst submitted the lowest of three bids for the project.
Crews began working on the project the week of July 21, and the contract with Jokerst calls for a 170-day project, according to a post on the city’s Facebook page. However, the project could be delayed by inclement weather and local events.
City Administrator Greg Camp said the project is one of the recommendations from the “M2M: Main to Mississippi Plan” that was developed after the completion of a 2022 study Festus and Crystal City officials authorized to help them find ways to improve the area along Main Street in Festus and Baily Road and Mississippi Avenue in Crystal City, as well as surrounding areas. The cities teamed up to obtain a federal Great Streets Initiative 80-20 grant to help pay for the study.
The South Second Street improvements project is solely a Festus effort and stretches from Mill Street to Adams Street.
“Renovating the South Second Street parking lot provides an immediate, visible improvement that supports long-term downtown revitalization goals,” Camp said. “It enhances accessibility, encourages foot traffic, supports existing businesses and signals public commitment to revitalization. As a highly functional asset, it lays the groundwork for future beautification and investment along Main Street.”
Along with the parking lot improvements, the city will ban vehicle traffic on a portion of Behring Street that links the parking lot to Main Street and turn it into pedestrian-only access, he said.
Camp said sections of the parking lot will be affected at different times during the work and advised drivers to seek parking at the Festus Public Library parking lot, 400 W. Main St., or on municipal parking lots north of Main Street.
Local officials and representatives from RDG Planning & Design, the project facilitator, conducted a series of open house meetings as part of its 2022 study to collect ideas for different strategies to improve both the look and functionality of the area from Crystal City Hall to Festus City Hall – a 1.5-mile stretch from Mississippi Avenue to Bailey Road in Crystal City and to Main Street in Festus, as well as the surrounding areas.