From the spring of 2003 until the summer of 2006, access to the Washington University Campus will be impacted by the construction of a light rail system that will provide important links between the University and the St. Louis Metropolitan Region. This advisory is intended to assist you in getting to and from the campus during the construction period.

Free MetroLink passes will be available to all full-time students, benefits-eligible faculty and staff, and full-time employees of qualified service providers. Click here for more information.

Click here for advisories from 2004.

Click here for advisories from 2005.

August 2006

Metro's Cross County Extension will officially open on Saturday, August 26, linking the Danforth Campus to downtown St. Louis, Clayton, Richmond Heights, Maplewood, Brentwood, and Shrewsbury.

Members of the University community are invited to join our neighbors in celebrating the beginning of light rail service that morning at the Skinker Station, located at the intersection of Skinker and Forest Park Parkway. Metro will provide free service on the Cross County Extension on Saturday and Sunday to encourage the public to ride the trains and become more familiar with the new service.

The Washington University Grand Opening Event will be from 9:30 until 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 26, on the Brookings Parking Lot. This family-friendly event will feature miniature train rides, arts and crafts projects, live music from an old-time string band and refreshments. The community will gather inside the station at about 11:00 a.m. to welcome the first train.

Regular fare service will begin on Monday, August 28. All full-time Washington University students, benefits-eligible faculty and staff, and employees of qualified sub-contractors are eligible to receive a free Universal Metro pass that provides access to all Metro buses and trains throughout the region. Visit the University's Parking and Transportation Office Web site to apply.

With the start of this new service, Washington University will be one of the most highly served institutions in the county in terms of public transit. In addition to Metro bus stops near all of our campuses, there will also be light rail service available to the Danforth Campus, the Medical School, West Campus, and North Campus.

May 2006

The following sections of Forest Park Parkway are now open for traffic. Motorists are now able to travel westbound from Skinker Blvd. to I-170. Motorists are able to travel eastbound from I-170 to the Central Ave. exit ramp in Clayton, and from the Pershing Ave. entrance to Skinker Blvd. Both eastbound and westbound lanes between Skinker Blvd. and DeBaliviere are now open.

April 2006

Both platform entrances and elevators at the Forest Park Parkway-De Baliviere Avenue station are completely open to the public. Fence construction and light installation continues on the Des Peres Avenue pedestrian bridge. Pavement repair on the Parkway between De Baliviere to Des Peres and grading of the Parkway east of Skinker are both ongoing.

Concrete work continues to progress on the northeast emergency egress and southwest access tunnel at the Skinker station. Electrical, plumbing and station finishes activities are also ongoing at the Skinker station.

Curb and sidewalk construction on the Parkway west of Skinker continues, and improvements to University Drive have started.

Asphalt-paving crews have already superpaved the Parkway from Hanley Road to Forsyth Boulevard and from Big Bend Boulevard east.

March 2006

The intersection of Skinker and Forest Park Parkway will be closed from 7 p.m. on March 10 to 4 a.m. on March 20 to remove the temporary bridges south of the intersection, back fill the hole and complete the pavement. This will block vehicle traffic on Forest Park Parkway between Hoyt and Skinker, and Skinker between Pershing and Lindell. Pedestrian traffic will not be affected and the crosswalk will remain the same as it currently is.

Traffic will be re-routed onto Brookings Drive and/or Hoyt Drive to bypass the work area. Throop Drive traffic should not be impacted. The pedestrian overpass linking the campus to the neighborhoods to the north will also be closed during this period for repairs and finishing work.

February 2006

METRO officials indicate that the Forest Park Parkway will re-open between Skinker and Big Bend by March 20, 2006. The temporary bridges on Skinker will also be removed by mid-March, and the finishing touches will be completed on the pedestrian overpass that links the campus with neighborhoods to the north. By mid-April, the Parkway should be re-opened to downtown Clayton. "Test trains" will likely begin running along the tracks in late April /early May. Full MetroLink service is still scheduled to begin in early September.

Forest Park Parkway Closure

The light rail system will be constructed on the north side of Forest Park Parkway adjacent to the Hilltop Campus. Construction work will require the closure of the Parkway to all vehicular traffic according to the following schedule, which has been provided by Metro, the agency responsible for the construction and operation of the light rail system:

Alternative Routes to Washington University

For all practical purposes, access to the University along Forest Park Parkway will be disrupted from the end of April 2003 through May 2005. We suggest the following alternative routes:

From Downtown St. Louis to:

• The Medical School — Take Interstate 64 /Highway 40 west to the North Kingshighway exit and follow signs.
• The Hilltop Campus and West Campus — Take Interstate 64/ Highway 40 west to the McCausland exit. Turn right (north), go to Forsyth Blvd., and turn left.
• The South 40 Residential Area — Take Interstate 64 / Highway 40 west to McCausland. Turn right (north), go to Wydown Blvd., and turn left.

From the West to:

• The Medical School — Take Interstate 64 / Highway 40 east to the North Kingshighway exit and follow signs.
• The Hiltop and West Campuses — Take Interstate 64 / Highway 40 east to the McCausland exit. Turn left (north), go to Fosyth Blvd., and turn left.
• The South 40 Residential Area — Take Interstate 64/ Highway 40 to the McCausland exit. Turn left (north), go to Wydown Blvd., and turn left.

From Lambert International Airport to:

• The Medical School — Exit the airport on Interstate 70 east. Turn south on Interstate 170 to Interstate 64 / Highway 40 east. Exit Interstate 64/ Highway 40 at North Kingshighway and follow signs. You may also take the Metro light rail system from the airport to the Central West End station.
• The Hilltop Campus and West Campus — Exit the airport on Interstate 70 east. Turn south on Interstate 170 and proceed to the Delmar Blvd. exit. Exit at Delmar and turn left. Take Delmar to Big Bend and turn right. Take Big Bend to Forsyth and turn right for West Campus and left for the Hilltop Campus.
• The South 40 Residential Area — Follow the above directions for the Hilltop Campus, but go one block past Forsyth to Shepley Drive and turn left.

Getting Around the Main Campus

During the Forest Park Parkway closure immediately adjacent to the Hilltop Campus (June 2003 — May 2005), a temporary roadway will provide access along the south side of the parkway between Skinker and Big Bend for Washington University traffic. Please refer to the following diagram for more detailed information. (pdf format) (PowerPoint format)

Major roadways adjacent to the campus will remain open but traffic restrictions may be in place as required by construction work. Please note that area law enforcement agencies indicate that speed limits will be strictly enforced on area streets.

Helpful Suggestions

• Plan your alternative route in advance.
• Expect significant delays, especially during the morning and evening rush hours.
• Consider carpooling.
• Take the MetroBus to campus.
• Do not park on area streets in violation of parking restrictions.
• Carefully observe speed limits.
• BE PATIENT!