A well-kept secret in East St. Louis, Illinois is that the population is 94% black, but morning rush hour traffic causes the white population to hover near 50%.
Commuters from Belleville, Fairview Heights, Shiloh and other Metro East communities use the popular shortcut via the 26th Street and Missouri Avenue Bridge, down Bond Avenue and then west over the Poplar Street Bridge into St. Louis.
At least that was the case until April 21, 2024. A truck crashed into the East St. Louis Bridge, forcing the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to close the bridge indefinitely. The reason given was “significant damage to several support elements.”
You don’t have to be a civil engineer to understand that this was a serious problem. IDOT estimates that, depending on how long it might take to deliver the replacement beams, the bridge may not be able to reopen until the fall.
This creates several nightmare scenarios: chaotic morning rush hours for those who rely on the ESL bridge to shorten their commute, and disruptions in connecting police, fire and rescue services to emergencies in the south of the city.
Seniors and children living outside of ESL are also at increased risk.
John McIntosh, owner of New York Cleaners, calls the closure a “great inconvenience for his customers and employees,” and fears that after months of disruption, customers will find more convenient alternatives from competitors.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the new Lansdowne Park housing development, featuring 20 $360,000 frame homes with three bedrooms each, is being touted by city officials, dignitaries and the nonprofit Lansdown Up as a cause for optimism about luring middle- to upper-income residents back to their hometown.
This upscale residential development is the brainchild of riverboat magnate Mark Mestemacher, who helped finance its construction. He also worked with East St. Louis authorities to incentivize young professionals and others to live in these lots, which are within walking distance of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center and the Metrolink station.
These incentives include the promise of a future state police headquarters in close proximity and TIF funds that provide homeowners with a 75% tax abatement for 20 years. The idea is that after the TIF expires, the number of ESL residents would increase, leading to a reduction in existing and excessive tax rates.
NAACP ESL President Robin Carey-Boyd addressed the central issue at a recent open house, asking how residents with median incomes in the $28,000 range can afford homes valued at $360,000.
Kevin Green of Lansdowne Up’s responded: “The average person is not going to live there.” Which raises the question: who is going to buy the homes?
Mayor Charles Powell III and State Senator Christopher Belt underlined their comments on the project with words like “optimism” and “synergy.”
Mestemacher announced that he and his wife will reportedly be leaving comfortable Collinsville and moving into one of the new homes. That all sounds good and kumbaya-y. And kudos to Mestemacher for his philanthropic efforts.
However, ESL has been devastated by the closure of a single bridge, crime is on the rise, infrastructure is deteriorating, insurance premiums are extortionate and there is a brain drain. This poses a huge challenge to the optimism and logic of the average citizen.
The reality is that most of the bigwigs who applaud the open day do not do so and will don’t live in East St. Louis. Period.
This speaks volumes about the potential for success of such an endeavor.
I am cynical about this project and hope I am wrong, but it seems intuitive to me that the State Police Headquarters should have been built first – not promised.
A comprehensive strategy, including affordable The $36 million in pandemic relief funds the city received were supposed to be used to address housing projects, economic development and infrastructure programs.
But what do I know? I’m just a guy who writes columns.James Ingram, an East St. Louis resident, has been writing commentary for the St. Louis American for more than 20 years. Email: [email protected] X@JamesTIngram
