February 23, 2022
Dear MnDOT and St Paul Public Works,
We attended your online presentation of proposals for changes to East 7th and Arcade Streets and looked at those proposals in more detail on the project website at-- https://talk.dot.state.mn.us/e7tharcade/news_feed/design-alternatives.
While neither Public Works nor MnDOT reached out to us directly, we'd like to offer our feedback on the proposed changes. We will comment section by section, beginning with section "A" and going to section "G".
Section A (E 7th Street, from I-94 to Mounds Boulevard):
This section needs to be improved to connect bikeways on Payne Ave and Kittson Street to those on Margaret St, downtown Saint Paul and the Bruce Vento Trail. If this can't be done by removing a motor vehicle lane, then you could narrow existing driving lanes to widen one or both of the sidewalks to create a multiuse path(s). If you widen just the northern sidewalk and create a 2-way, multi-use path, this could be continued on the next section (B) of East 7th, from Mounds to Minnehaha, combining the bike lanes into a two-way path on the north side of E 7th Street.
During the online presentation, the presenter said that they didn't want/need to do any changes to this section because "This stretch of E 7th Street is mostly for industrial uses." Part of the reason for this is that it's such an automobile-oriented hell-scape that it lacks any appeal for retail or residential use, despite its proximity to downtown. As such, it forms part of a highway and exit ramp ring around downtown, making downtown difficult to access by foot or bicycle and cutting it off from its neighborhoods. People should be able to safely ride a bike from downtown to Metro State College, Mississippi Market and other parts of the east side. That's not going to happen until MnDOT and the city improve this stretch of East 7th Street to better enable bike and pedestrian travel.
Section B (E 7th Street, from Mounds Boulevard to Minnehaha Avenue):
We definitely support Alternative 1B or something like it. See our previous section comment about combining the two bike lanes to form a 2-way multi-use path on the north side of E 7th. This section definitely needs bike lanes, preferably one(s) that connect to something in Section A. It also needs the proposed 4-lane to 3-lane conversion to reduce pedestrian crashes and make this vital business district more friendly for pedestrians, cyclists and non-motorized users. We don't care which side parking is removed on ...or whether it changes from side to side.
Section C (Arcade Street, from E 7th street to York Avenue):
A bike facility on this stretch would greatly improve connectivity between Dayton's Bluff and Payne-Phalen, and would enable convenient access to the Bruce Vento Trail using the spur at Neid Ln. A bike facility here would also help connect people to the new Purple Line station that's being proposed at Arcade Street. If Alternative 1A is chosen, shoulders should be striped as bike lanes (7' lane, 4' striped buffer). If Alternative 1B is chosen, consider redesigning the west sidewalk as 10'-12' multiuse path from E 7th to York to enable access to Neid from both the north and south. The Saint Paul Bicycle Plan is currently being revised and is scheduled to go before the city council this spring or summer, so this short stretch of bikeway could easily be added to the revised plan.
Section D (Arcade Street, York to Geranium):
We are ok with the existing conditions and proposed bump outs. We strongly encourage bump outs at Jessamine to improve safety of the long-term bike boulevard crossing there.
Section E (Arcade Street, Geranium to Wheelock):
We strongly support Alternative 1 as proposed but request major changes at the intersection of Arcade and Wheelock to make the Grand Round trail crossing safer, possibly including a refuge median. The current intersection slip-turn and intersection geometry is dangerous for both cyclists and pedestrians.
Section F (Arcade Street, Wheelock Pkwy to Larpenteur Ave):
We strongly support Alternative 1C for this section. If interim condition forces Alternative 1B, we prefer consolidating the bike lanes into a two-way, 16', parking-protected bikeway on east side of the street (which would line up with the proposed path in Section G).
Section G (Arcade Street, Larpenteur to Parkway Drive):
We strongly support Alternative 1 as presented.
Conclusion
Overall, we are grateful that the city and MnDOT are proposing to right-size portions of both E 7th and Arcade. Now if they could better tackle Section A and the area of 7th to the west of it (From I-94 to Wall Street and ideally to Jackson Street), then we'd really go a long way towards reconnecting the East Side to downtown.
Thank you for your consideration,
Andy Singer and Ian Buck, Co-Chairs
Saint Paul Bicycle Coalition
651-917-3417 (landline)
http://www.saintpaulbicyclecoalition.org