St. Louis County officials expect to get a final decision on the South County Connector project sometime this summer.

A draft of the environmental impact statement is due in January 2013, according to the St. Louis County South County Connector website. Residents will have 45 days to review the study before county officials hold a final public hearing in February or early March.

Once residents have commented on the environmental impact statement by early spring, the Federal Highway Admnistration will make a final decision, probably by summer 2013.

The project does not yet have funding to support it, but the environmental impact statement and a final decision from the Federal Highway Administration will make it eligible for federal funding.

The South County Connector is a project aimed at connecting South County neighborhoods to interstates 44, 64, 55 and 170 as well as reducing traffic congestion, increasing roadway capacity and addressing the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians.

The connector itself has been reduced in width, extending from Hanley Road near Flora to River Des Peres Blvd. at Lansdowne. The corridor includes the Deer Creek Center, Big Bend Indistrial Court and the parking lot of the Shrewbury MetroLink sation. A new interchange would connect the corridor to interstate 44. (Check out the interactive map above for more.)

The St. Louis County Department of Highways of Traffic’s proposals for a north-south linking route were presented at a series of public meetings in Shrewsbury where the plans sparked opposition from residents concerned about the use of eminent domain.