Village officials, local law enforcement and Godfrey Fire and ESDA are all coordinating their planning efforts together in conjunction with local businesses that are located along the projected procession route to ensure operations go as smooth as possible for the funeral procession that will start in Chesterfield Missouri and end at Valhalla Cemetery in Godfrey during the afternoon of Thursday, Oct 13th.
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Residents and Businesses along the route should expect heavy traffic congestion, parking access restrictions (to local parks) and some temporary lane and road closures during the event which could take place anytime between the hours of noon and 4pm on Thursday.
The procession will take the Northwest route from Alton up the River Road, then turn right on Clifton Terrace up to West Delmar, then right on West Delmar all the way to Valhalla Cemetery.
Parking and access restrictions are as follows:
- Parking at La Vista Park will be closed to the public and reserved only for first responders in uniform or overflow procession traffic that won’t fit in Valhalla Cemetery parking areas. (First responders arriving separate from the procession will walk from La Vista and assemble along the frontage of Valhalla Cemetery)
- The lower parking lot of Clifton Terrace Park will be closed to accommodate the Village of Godfrey Parks/ Recreation and Public Works “honor detail”.
- The Eagleridge Veterinary Clinic parking lot will be closed to the public and reserved for police use and event operations parking.
The following businesses have agreed to host public parking along the procession route on West Delmar between Clifton Terrace and Valhalla Cemetery:
- Sunset Bar & Grill, 2807 West Delmar
- Dollar General, 2900 West Delmar (park on side lot and side lot grassy area)
- Melville Dairy, 2904 West Delmar (park on side lot)
- Clifton Country Inn, 3015 West Delmar
- There may be some “limited” parking on the upper lot at Clifton Terrace park
Once the procession arrives in the Riverbend area the following roads will be temporarily closed to thru traffic:
- All of West Delmar (going east to Valhalla Cemetery) will be closed by Godfrey Fire between Clifton Terrace Road all the way to Crystal Lake Road until the procession has completed.
Village Officials are strongly encouraging public supporters to carpool or ride share to the event if they want to participate and share their respects and are also encouraging the public to use available biking or walking options on the many miles of trails that follow the River Road from Alton to Clifton Terrace.
Local and/or national Media representatives will be directed to the cemetery management office and will be sent to a media staging location designated for them towards the back of Valhalla cemetery.
Godfrey Public Safety Administrator Chris Sichra had one request of the public during all the activity on Thursday:
“We ask that everyone, whether they drive, bike or walk to this event to take their time and be patient. Be thoughtful of where you are parking so that you don’t block driveways, don’t drive on resident’s lawns, impede access areas or enter private property that is posted or barricaded, and especially we ask that supporters who are coming out take additional care to be safe on the roadways and look out for pedestrians, spectators and of course, other vehicles.”
Any questions or concerns related to this press release you may contact the Godfrey Mayor’s office at (618) 466-3324 or contact Godfrey Fire Chief Erik Kambarian at (618) 466-0131
For questions regarding any public safety concerns during the event you can contact Christopher Sichra at: publicsafety@godfreyil.org (314) 223-5995
