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Webster Groves advances Safe Streets planning; consultant selection, community survey underway
Summary
City staff told the Webster Groves Sustainability Commission that the city is in the final phases of selecting consultants to conduct an environmental review and to write a community safety action plan funded under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All planning grant.
City staff told the Webster Groves Sustainability Commission that the city is in the final phases of selecting consultants to conduct an environmental review and to write a community safety action plan funded under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All planning grant.
The planning grant pays only for planning work; officials said an approved safety action plan would let Webster Groves apply for federal implementation grants to carry out pilot projects. "We are in the final phases of selecting consultants for conducting the environmental review and creating the safety action plan," the city's staff liaison said during the commission meeting.
The commission was briefed on what the planning phase will cover and on next steps. Staff described demonstration projects the plan could enable — variable speed limits, targeted speed humps, upgraded pedestrian-crossing lighting and a possible multiuse path to connect North Webster to other parts of the city — and said those pilots would likely be pursued only after the environmental review is complete and implementation grants are secured.
A multi-stakeholder task force has met monthly since September and includes representatives from the Sustainability Commission, the Traffic Advisory Commission, the Police Community Engagement Board, the Business Development Commission, Webster Groves School District, Webster University, the Webster–Shrewsbury–Rock Hill Area Chamber of Commerce and two resident members. Staff said task-force meetings are open to the public, held in council chambers on the fourth Thursday of the month at 9:30 a.m., and are posted to the city’s YouTube channel.
Staff also reported that a community engagement survey went live in November and that yard signs and outreach were placed along high-foot-traffic routes and in quadrants of the city with lower response rates to encourage broad participation. The city established a dedicated inbox (wgsafestreets@webstergrovesmo.gov) and a project website, staff added.
Commissioners asked about the local safety record and equity priorities. Staff said Webster Groves has had relatively few fatalities and serious injuries in recent years but emphasized equity goals in the grant application — specifically better connections for the North Webster area and other historically underserved parts of the city.
Staff described the environmental review as a required step before piloting roadway changes and reiterated that implementation funding would come from separate federal grants after the plan is completed. They asked for commissioner input and participation in the public outreach process.
What happens next: staff will finish consultant selection for the environmental review and safety action plan, continue task-force meetings and public engagement, and move toward demonstration projects only after completing the required environmental review and securing implementation funding.
