St. Louis’ Bi-State Development Agency (Metro) will be awarded a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Program $10.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) to enhance transit and job accessibility in the Central Corridor of St. Louis.

The federal monies will be used to build a new MetroLink Station as well as expand the busiest MetroLink station on the light rail system, the Central West End Station, and will be used to create the first section of a bike trail that will connect the new MetroLink station to the regional Great Rivers Greenway trail network.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $12.9 million with local funding sources committed to providing the remaining $2.6 million needed. The new MetroLink station is expected to be completed in 2017 with an estimated ridership of 900 daily boardings initially and up to 2,000 daily boardings in 20 years.

The project will create approximately 170 construction jobs and support transit alternatives for the estimated 13,000 permanent jobs to be created in the Cortex area and throughout the Central St. Louis Corridor.