August 2022

We are improving safety for all users along East 7th St. (Hwy 5) and Arcade St. (Hwy 61) from I-94 in St. Paul to Roselawn Ave. in Maplewood. Design and engineering are underway, and construction is anticipated to begin in fall 2024.

In 2021, we provided engagement activities to gather community feedback on what improvements were needed on East 7th St. and Arcade St. From the community feedback in 2021, we put together several design ideas for improvements along East 7th St. and Arcade St. and gathered community feedback from February through June 2022 to narrow down the design ideas for each of the sections along the project corridor.

We have prepared two proposed layouts showing different design options for the project corridor. As a part of the federal RAISE grant, which are additional funds to support the community vision of better access for all, improvements for the project corridor will include:

• ADA accessibility improvements
• Safety improvements for people walking and rolling
• Curb and sidewalk improvements
• Lighting improvements
• Traffic light replacements
• Roadway resurfacing
• Stormwater drainage updates
• Streetscaping and landscaping

We have collected comments and feedback and a new proposed final layout will be available in November 2022.

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1. East 7th St. - I-94 to Mounds Blvd.

2. East 7th St. - Mounds Blvd. to Arcade St.

3. Arcade St. - East 7th St. to York Ave.

4. Arcade St. - York Ave. to Geranium Ave.

5. Arcade St. - Geranium Ave. to Wheelock Pkwy.

6. Arcade St. - Wheelock Pkwy. to Larpenteur Ave.

7. Arcade St. - Larpenteur Ave. to Parkway Dr./Frost Ave.

Section A: East 7th Street between I-94 and Mounds Blvd.

What we heard:

• People are interested in more bike connections from downtown Saint Paul to the east side.
• People supported removal of the dedicated free-right turn lane on eastbound East 7th St to Mounds Blvd. Some feel removing the dedicated right turn lane will increase traffic congestion.
• People raised concerns about traffic speed and would like an alternative that prioritizes pedestrians and bicyclists and other traffic calming measures.

Technical Findings:

• Adding bike lanes will require narrowing the road. A traffic study showed narrowing the road will impact the incoming traffic from the I-94 on-ramps, causing traffic congestion in this section of the road.
• Findings suggest removal of the dedicated right turn lane at East 7th St. and Mounds Blvd. will increase walking distances for pedestrian crossing at this intersection and impact turning movements for vehicles making a right turn. The dedicated right turn lane at Mounds Blvd. will remain in place.

Proposed design improvements:

• Redesign of bus pullout on eastbound E. 7th St.
• Curb location changes on westbound E. 7th St. between Lafayette Rd. and John St.

Section A layout (view full-size image)

Section A cross-section (view full-size image)

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Section B: East 7th St. from Mounds Blvd. to Minnehaha Ave.

What we heard:

• Businesses along this section rely on on-street parking, as most businesses do not have off-street parking options for workers and customers. It was important for businesses to keep on-street parking in front of their buildings.
• People were interested in having bike lanes to provide connections to the existing adjacent bike trails.

Technical findings:

• A parking study showed on-street parking in this section was mainly used on Saturday afternoons (55 spaces of approximately 105 spaces used).

Proposed design Improvement Alternative 1-Parking Only:

• Wider parking lanes on both sides of the street
• Installation of curb bump-outs and crossing enhancements
• Median refuges at certain locations
• Reduction of four driving lanes to three: one lane in each direction with a center, left-turn lane

Section B - Parking only layout (view full-size image)

Section B - Parking only cross-section (view full-size image)

Proposed design Improvement Alternative 2 - Bike Lanes and Parking:

• Bike lane on both sides of the street
• On-street parking lane on one side of the street (south side)
• Installation of median refuges at certain locations
• Reduction of four driving lanes to three: one lane in each direction with a center, left-turn lane

Section B - bike and parking layout (view full-size image)

Section B - bike and parking cross section (view full-size image)

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Section C: Arcade St. from East 7th St. to York Ave.

What we heard:

• People preferred a 4- to 3-lane conversion with one lane in each direction and a center left turn lane.
• If a bike lane was put in place, people suggested adding protected bike lanes with a physical separation/barrier.
• People preferred parking on the south side of the road, although they feel there are adequate business parking on the south side already.

Technical findings:

Most businesses in this section have dedicated parking lots, and a parking study showed no on-street parking was used during all counting periods.

Proposed design improvements:

• Sidewalk on both sides of the street
• Wider boulevard on both sides of the street
• 4’ Shoulder on both sides of the street
• Removal of on-street parking
• Reduction of four driving lanes to three: one lane in each direction with a center, left-turn lane

Secton C layout (view full-size image)

Secton C cross-section (view full-size image)

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Section D: Arcade St. from York Ave. to Geranium Ave.

What we heard:

• It was important for the businesses to keep on-street parking for customers in this section.
• People suggested narrowing the traffic lanes by implementing a four-to-three lane conversion in this section.
• People suggested more traffic calming measures, better road signage to distinguish parking lanes and driving lanes, and more trees and landscaping.

Technical findings:

• This section of the street is narrower than the rest of the corridor, especially between Sims Ave. and Case Ave.
• A parking study showed on-street parking in this section was used at above 50% at all counting periods.

Proposed design improvements:

• The road, sidewalk, and boulevard areas remain the same
• Curb bump-outs at several intersections

Section D layout (view full-size image)

Section D cross-section (view full-size image)

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Section E: Arcade St. from Geranium Ave. to Wheelock Pkwy.

What we heard

• Safety for people walking, biking, and driving are important.
• People were generally in favor of the 4- to 3-lane conversion with one lane in each direction and a center left turn lane.
• Parking was essential for the businesses in this section, particularly on the northwest corner of Maryland Ave. and Arcade St. intersection, as most businesses do not have alternative parking for workers and customers.

Technical findings

• A parking study showed on-street parking was mostly used on Saturday afternoons. From Maryland Ave. to Hawthorne Ave., on-street parking was mostly used on the west side (2-7 cars in 10 spaces at all periods) and not used at all on the east side (0 cars in 6 spaces).
• Between Hawthorne Ave. and Wheelock Pkwy, a parking study showed no on-street parking was used during all counting periods.
• A traffic study indicates a 4- to 3-lane conversion is feasible along this stretch of the project corridor.

Proposed design improvement Alternative 1:4 to 3 lane; No on-street parking

• Removal of on-street parking
• Installation of bump outs at several intersections
• Center median refuge at certain locations
• Shoulder on both sides of the street
• Reduction of four driving lanes to three: one lane in each direction with a center, left-turn lane

Section E - 3 lane layout (view full-size image)

Section E - 3 lane cross-section (view full-size image)

Proposed design improvement Alternative 2 – Partial 4- to 3-lane; some on-street parking:

• Removal of on-street parking except between Hawthorne Ave. and Hyacinth Ave.
• Installation of bump outs at several intersections
• Center median refuge at certain locations
• Shoulder on both sides of the street
• Reduction of four driving lanes to three: one lane in each direction with a center, left-turn lane throughout most of the section except between Rose Ave. and Hawthorne Ave.

Section E - 4 lane layout (view full-size image)

Section E - 4 lane cross-section (view full-size image)

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Section F: Arcade St. from Wheelock Pkwy. to Larpenteur Ave.

What we heard

• People are interested in a trail connection from Wheelock Pkwy. to the Gateway State Trail stub at Frost Ave, and a need to improve pedestrian crossing at this intersection.
• People were in favor of removing on-street parking in this section due to low utilization.

Technical findings

• A parking study indicates only one parked car was observed in this segment during all counting periods.
• The City of Saint Paul is developing alternatives for the intersection of Arcade St. and Wheelock Pkwy.

Proposed design improvements

• Shoulder/parking on one side of the street
• Sidewalk on one side of the street
• Center median refuges
• Wider grass boulevards on both sides of the street
• Multi-use trail on one side of the street
• Reduction of five driving lanes to three: one lane in each direction with a center, left-turn lane

Section F layout (view full-size image)

Section F cross-section (view full-size image)

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Section G: Arcade St. from Larpenteur Ave. to Frost Ave./Parkway Dr.

What we heard

• Many people supported having a multi-use trail and suggested narrowing/reducing traffic lanes to improve safety and calm traffic.
• People suggested improving crossing at Larpenteur Ave. and Frost Ave.

Technical findings

• A parking study showed no on-street parking spaces was used at all counting periods.

Proposed design improvements

• A multi-use trail on one side of the street
• A planted boulevard on one side of the street
• Removal of the northbound dedicated right-turn lane
• Removal of all on-street parking

Section G layout (view full-size image)

Section G cross-section (view full-size image)

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