St. Charles County Transportation Plan 2030 - East-West Gateway ...

A. Background
VI. Future Transportation Conditions
Future transportation conditions in St. Charles County will depend on many factors. The first and
most important is how land use in the county and rest of the region will change over the next 25
years. This will effect the region’s demographics and greatly influence the amount and pattern of
travel on all transportation modes, especially streets and highways. Of particular importance is the
growth of population and employment. The second most important factor is the changes that can
be expected in all modes of transportation in the region. Of primary concern are changes to the
street and highway system since they will influence the movement of people, goods, services and
commodities. A third factor that will influence travel is the overall economic conditions in the St.
Louis region, Missouri, and the United States as it will effect the demands that will be placed on all
modes of transportation. Lastly, the amount of travel that can be expected by persons living in the
region and those traveling through it is apt to change as societal and technical changes take place
and economic conditions of the country change. These changes will also influence the movement
of people, goods, services, and commodities. Assumptions have been made regarding these factors
and how they will influence travel on all modes of transportation in St. Charles County.
B. Demographics
The demographic makeup of the St. Louis region that may exist in the year 2030 is quite important
in estimating the amount of travel that can be expected in St. Charles County. Data in Chapter II
provided information on historical demographics. These data were used as a baseline for developing
future estimates. Trends in population including age and gender, number of households and persons
per household, and employment, were important items used in making these estimates.
Future land use forecasts provided the basis for determining the county’s demographics which were
essential in developing forecasts of travel. The Council developed much of these data, especially
forecasts of population, number of households, persons per household and the amount and
distribution of employment, by closely tracking land development in the county. The county’s
planning staff played an important role in assisting Council staff in developing these data as did
many of the cities.
B-1. Population and Household Forecasts
Since land in the county is abundant and residential development continues, it is expected that this
trend will continue well into the future. New residential development has followed or is ahead of
current and planned highway improvements and is expected to continue. This is especially true
along major corridors presently being updated and those planned for new construction in the near
future. Such roads include the conversion of U.S. 40/61 to I-64 from Rt. K to I-70, the proposed
Rt. 364 corridor west along Rt. 94 from Harvester Rd. to Mid Rivers Mall Dr. and west to I-64 at
Rt. N. Other corridors that have attracted new development include Mid Rivers Mall Dr. from
Willott Rd. south to Rt. 94, Rt. 94 from Mid Rivers Mall Dr. west to I-64, Rt. K from Rt. N south
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