Dear CMT Members and Friends:
As executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit, I write to express CMT’s opposition to the building of a South County Connector now and in the future and we ask you to do the same.
New, unwanted roadway construction wastes precious transportation dollars and diverts attention and resources away from the more sustainable transportation options in which the region has already invested. We believe that St. Louis County Executive Dooley should withdraw the South County Environmental Impact Study and allocate the County’s ‘extra’ transportation monies toward the improvement of our public transit system, already seeing record demand across the region.
Our opposition to this project is informed, in part, by the following:
- MetroLink has proven to be an invaluable tool for lessening traffic congestion, improving air quality, and improving connectivity throughout the region.
- The region recently invested millions of dollars in the Cross County Light Rail extension, making a South County Connector duplicative and unnecessary project.
- Several studies show that road capacity is filled within 5 years of its construction, making it a poor solution to congestion in the region.
- Metro is already planning state of the art rapid transit services in the county, a less costly and more efficient transportation solution for the region.
- The Draft Environmental Impact Study used traffic modeling data from 2002, which does not incorporate data from the Cross County Light Rail extension completed in 2006. The assumptions informing the study are out of date and do not reflect the changing demographic and transportation trends of the region.
At an estimated cost of $110 million dollars, St. Louis County would be better served by transit investment, usage, and service than it would by the proposed South County Connector.
CMT joins Trailnet, the Mayor of Maplewood and other elected officials in opposition to the proposed project and is encouraging CMT members throughout the region to contact County Executive Dooley and Councilman Pat Dolan (the majority of the South County Connector would be in Dolan’s district) to withdraw the South County Connector Draft Environmental Impact Study. Transit is the transportation solution for the future. Let’s invest in it and ensure that it becomes a more viable, reliable, and desirable transportation option for the region.
Please also log your opposition to the South County Connector project by sending the letters below to County Executive Dooley and Councilman Dolan before July 19th. Be sure to note if you are constituent of theirs. If you would prefer to e-mail, use these addresses –
Sincerely,
Kimberly Cella
Executive Director of CMT