New Centennial Greenway Trail in the Great Rivers Greenway Trail System Connects Residents and Businesses in Clayton, Ladue, Olivette and University City

Thousands of residents and employees in the neighboring communities of Clayton, Ladue, Olivette and University City will soon have a safe and accessible path to shopping, work, nature and outdoor recreation thanks to a new two-mile trail in the Great Rivers Greenway trail system.  The new Centennial Greenway trail, which runs north along I-170 from Shaw Park to Olive Blvd., is set to officially open on April 26 and will fully link the four communities, creating valuable connections to parks, business and shopping districts and schools, and dramatically improving the quality of life for area residents.

To celebrate the opening of the new trail, Great Rivers Greenway is hosting a Party on the Greenway in Shaw Park on April 26, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., inviting all nearby residents and employees along the greenway to come out for lunch to experience the new trail for the first time.

The event will kick off with a ribbon cutting ceremony and will feature free bike rentals, courtesy of Big Shark Bicycle Company, and free pedicab rides. Food trucks, including The Sweet Divine, Seoul Taco and Taste-D-Burger, will be on-site with a variety of culinary creations available for purchase, so that nearby employees or residents can grab a bite to eat and explore the new trail. Walgreens will be on hand promoting its new walking program and giving away wellness tools, while Brown Shoe Company will celebrate the greenway near its headquarters by providing special giveaways from its Healthy living shoe brands, including Naturalizer, Dr. Scholl’s Shoes and its new Bzees line.

The Arbor Day event, sponsored by Enterprise Holdings, will include the planting of four trees in Shaw Park to symbolize the four communities connected by the greenway – Clayton, Ladue, Olivette and University City. Free saplings will also be given to the first 150 attendees at the event for planting.

The new off-street asphalt trail begins at I-170 and Olive Blvd. in Olivette and travels two miles to Shaw Park in Clayton.  Along the way, the trail connects pedestrians and cyclists to local companies like Brown Shoe and Enterprise, the Ladue shopping district, the Downtown Clayton business district, the I-170 Delmar business district, Clayton High School, and the Clayton Community Center.  The trail continues along I-170 with signalized crossings at Delmar Blvd and Ladue Road and connects to existing trails in Shaw Park.  The trail connects into the Clayton on-street bike system with on-street bike routes to downtown Clayton and Forest Park. The trail also connects to Olivette’s on-street bike system on Old Bonhomme Road with a short distance to University City’s Ruth Porter Park. 

The positive impact the Centennial Greenway trail will have on people in the region is already evident with nearby residents who had limited commuting options using the trail to reach nearby services and amenities.   Seniors from the nearby Crown Retirement Center in Ladue, who used to have to rely on a daily shuttle ride to get to the Ladue Crossing Shopping Center to pick up groceries, now have the option to travel to and from the center daily with their grocery carts along the greenway. Residents in nearby subdivisions are also able to avoid automobile traffic to get to the shopping center by walking out their back doors and connecting with nature along the way.

“We are thrilled that this new trail is creating so many connections and opportunities for residents, employees and local businesses,” said Susan Trautman, Executive Director of Great Rivers Greenway. “This two-mile stretch of trail not only serves as a much-needed connection between the communities of Clayton, Ladue, Olivette and University City, but it also improves the quality of life of residents in the area, providing an option for exercising, commuting and connecting to nature.”

The celebration is open to the public and will be held at the Shaw Park Drive cul-de-sac, near baseball field #8 in Shaw Park on Friday, April 26 starting at 11 a.m. Everyone attending the event is encouraged to walk, bike or take the MetroLink. Those who drive may park along Shaw Park Drive. For more information, call 314.436.7009.

About Great Rivers Greenway

Great Rivers Greenway was created by a vote of the people in 2000 with the goal of making the St. Louis region a better place to live. The public organization is carrying out the desires of the public by connecting an interconnected system of trails and greenways, designed to connect communities, provide transportation alternatives, preserve nature, improve health and increase the economic vitality of the region. Great Rivers Greenway includes St. Louis City and County and St. Charles County. For more information, visit www.greatriversgreenway.org.