New park opened at St. Louis Arch grounds

ST. LOUIS -- The $380-million Gateway Arch grounds overhaul in St. Louis has opened its first renovated park.

The Arch and its grounds are undergoing a $380-million renovation, which includes a planned 46,000-square-foot expansion of the visitor center and a redesigned Museum of Westward Expansion, both underneath the monument. The makeover also includes creating a park atop a concrete-and-steel lid being built over an interstate highway between the Arch and downtown.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported contractors Wednesday removed fencing around Luther Ely Smith Square, just west of the Arch grounds. Construction on the square started last year and included leveling the old park, building new pathways, adding lighting, trees and more than 300 feet of benches.

Other parts of the project are expected to open in 2016 and 2017.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com