ST. LOUIS – A major artery through the city of St. Louis is getting a multimillion-dollar makeover, but while the city touts reduced crashes and smoother commutes, not everyone is sold on the plan.

Construction is officially underway at Christy Road and South Kingshighway. From Neosho to Gravois, crews are transforming this corridor.

Between 2018 and 2022, this stretch saw over 5,500 crashes—129 of them serious or fatal, 95 involving pedestrians or cyclists. Businesses like Crusoe’s Legacy Bar & Grill are watching changes unfold right outside their door.

“That intersection is kind of tricky so there have definitely been accidents that have happened over the years. Even as a customer at the previous location, I saw accidents,” said Stephanie Lachance, Crusoe’s Legacy Owner.

Despite the goals of safer streets, not everyone’s convinced it will help.

“We have a lot of population here in Saint Louis and we need to get somewhere. When you drain down to just one lane each way, it’s not going to work,” said citizen William Arnold.

Drivers who pass through daily say the current construction is causing confusion and delays.

“It’s an inconvenience, overall. I DoorDash every day for a living,” said Josh W. “Now, when you get to that stop sign, it gets a little scary because people don’t stop. A lot of city people are in a rush to get where they need to go.”

The city of St. Louis says these changes—repaving, center turn lanes and intersection redesigns—will help slow speeds, reduce crashes and make neighborhoods safer. 

They expect all eight Kingshighway segments to be complete by 2026.