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O'Fallon staff lay out $257 million bike-and-walk inventory, warn funding gap for new shared-use paths
Summary
Capital improvements manager Chris Clerks presented 25 bike/walk priority projects to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, reporting the city's path inventory is valued at about $150 million and that fully building proposed improvements would bring total path/sidewalk asset exposure to roughly $257 million; staff said available maintenance funding is far smaller and additional grants or county/federal funds will be required.
Chris Clerks, the city’s capital improvements manager, told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on Aug. 12 that the city has compiled 25 priority bike-and-walk projects and an inventory of existing paths and sidewalks that together represent a substantial maintenance and capital burden. “The subtotal of the asset value is about a $150,000,000,” Clerks said, and if the city built all identified improvements and kept existing assets, “we're looking at $257,000,000 of asset that we have to deal with.”
Clerks said the city currently budgets roughly $280,000 per year for path maintenance and has historically allocated about $200,000 from city budgets for paths; those sums cover regular upkeep but leave large capital projects unfunded. He described the main outside sources the city pursues — East-West Gateway federal funds, Saint Charles County road board allocations and miscellaneous state and federal grants — and cautioned that such competitive grants are not guaranteed.
To illustrate the scale of costs, Clerks walked the board through an example: replacing 1,750 linear feet of existing sidewalk with a 10-foot shared-use path was estimated at about $450,000, with concrete work alone at roughly $155,000–$160,000. He warned that ADA requirements, utility relocations, grading and right-of-way needs can raise costs rapidly and turn seemingly small projects into major undertakings.
Clerks described several active and upcoming projects, including a Darden connector coordinated with Great Rivers Greenway and MoDOT (work had begun the week of the meeting); planned connections to Bluebird and Barret Haven trails; and maintenance treatments such as thin asphalt overlays to extend service life on selected stretches. He said staff generally uses licensed design consultants for projects and that the city will collect feedback from boards and the public as part of a broader strategic planning process to prioritize work.
Board members and residents pressed staff on user priorities and safety. Some asked whether projects should favor transportation riders who use paths for commutes or residents who use them for recreation. Clerks said priorities reflect different users — from commuters to parents pushing strollers — and that 10–12 foot shared-use paths often serve the broadest group safely. Concerns about safety on major roadways surfaced repeatedly: one attendee said, “there's no way I'm getting anywhere near K Street on my bike,” underscoring public safety worries on certain corridors.
Clerks also noted enforcement and maintenance challenges: utilities and contractors sometimes park on or otherwise damage paths, and policing motorized use (for example, golf carts) is difficult without formal signage and enforcement capacity. He recommended the board consider maintenance-first priorities alongside strategic expansions, and said staff would return with more detailed prioritization as strategic planning proceeds.
Because the board did not have a quorum, the presentation generated feedback but no formal votes or policy actions at the meeting. The city’s next steps, Clerks said, are to gather input from commissions and the public and to develop a prioritized recommendation for city council consideration.
