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Maplewood plans Greenwood reconstruction amid federal grant timeline and railroad crossing review
Summary
City staff described Greenwood Boulevard reconstruction coordinated with Great Rivers Greenway and several federal grants; a separate railroad crossing at Sutton is under Federal Railroad Administration review and could affect schedule.
Maplewood staff told the City Council on May 7 that the city expects major Greenwood Boulevard work next summer and is coordinating multiple federal and regional grants and related infrastructure projects.
The project includes a full reconstruction of Greenwood Boulevard from St. Elmo to Canterbury, a 10-foot pedestrian path on the south side funded by Great Rivers Greenway (GRG), and other traffic-calming elements. Staff said the work combines Surface Transportation Program (STP) federal funds, a GRG contribution and a CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality) grant.
"It's going to be federal funds. We're getting $1,128,000 from the federal government for STP," the staff member said. The council packet also reflects a separate GRG contribution of about $537,000 and a CMAQ allocation of about $1,400,000; staff said the city has budgeted about $622,000 but that two bids on the project were approximately $600,000 apart, leaving a wide range for final costs.
Staff warned councilmembers that federal funds for some elements must be obligated by Sept. 30. The Greenwood reconstruction also intersects other projects: a previously authorized federal grant application for mini-roundabouts on West Bruno and work on Laclede Station Road; and a long-pending railroad crossing project at Sutton that was submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for review after plans were completed in June 2024.
"We turned our 100% complete plans in, June 2024," the presenter said regarding the Sutton crossing. The FRA review could affect the city—s ability to coordinate Greenwood work with the crossing; staff said they hoped to know federal obligation status by July or August and, if successful, to begin construction late summer with completion in the following spring or early summer.
Council members pressed staff on the potential for construction disruption. Staff said Greenwood construction will likely cause significant inconvenience to nearby residents and may shift traffic onto James and Oxford streets during work. The city plans for Maplewood Public Works to manage the Greenwood reconstruction; GRG will manage the trail portions and provide a project manager for portions they fund.
Staff also noted uncertainty from bid variance and potential materials-cost pressures such as steel tariffs, though they said concrete costs are mostly local and that the city is pursuing known contractors to help contain price risk.
No final vote or bond authorization was taken at the work session; staff said some garage and facility improvements are being considered for bond funding and would be added back into capital budgets if the council chooses not to pursue a bond project.
