Gateway Arch Park Foundation announces plans to potentially expand to East St. Louis

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (First Alert 4) - The Gateway Arch Park Foundation announced on Tuesday plans to potentially expand the park grounds to East St. Louis.

The foundation is working with East St. Louis, St. Clair County, National Park Service, the state of Illinois and the Metro East Parks and Recreation District to potentially expand Arch Grounds to the Illinois Riverfront.

The first phase of this plan focuses on evaluating the land and environmental conditions and determining the scale of investment required.

The foundation is also currently focused on fundraising and identifying public and private partners and government grants.

“This idea, this vision, has been around for over 80 years,” Ryan McClure, executive director of the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, told First Alert 4. “What we are doing is working as a partnership to see that through.”