Hwy 51/Snelling Ave. and Montreal Ave. study – St. Paul

From June 29 to August 5, we engaged the community to understand what needs and opportunities exist to help inform future projects along Snelling Ave. and Montreal Ave. in St. Paul. We are planning a resurfacing project along the road between 2030 and 2031.

This first phase of the study focused on asking community members about their general use, challenges and comfort level in the study area. During the two months, the study team received 881 comments from people who live or travel in the study area.

Engagement included a survey, an online comment map, an in-person public meeting, a virtual public meeting and two pop-up events. These events were promoted with the website, study emails and through social media.

Engagement activities

Survey
June 29 - Aug. 5

The study team developed a survey asking about general use, challenges and comfort level along the study area. The survey garnered 443 responses, including 6 responses from businesses.

Comment map
June 29 - Aug. 5

An interactive comment map allowed participants to drop a pin on locations in the study area, with the following categories: biking/rolling issues, walking issues, driving issues, transit accessibility issues, crossing issues, other issues, ideas/improvements and what is working well. After identifying a location, users could also provide a comment on each pin. The map garnered 230 responses from 72 participants.

Public meetings
In-person at Macalester College, 5-7 p.m. on Wed, July 22
Virtual, 6-7 p.m. on Wed, July 29

We hosted two public meetings, one in-person at Macalester College and one virtual. Both meetings included a presentation followed by an open house-style conversation. The in-person meeting had boards, a mapping activity and information on other projects near the study area. Approximately 35 people combined attend the public meetings. Watch a recording of the virtual public meeting.

Pop-ups
Dayton Ave. and Snelling Ave. transit station, 4-6 p.m. on Tue, July 7
Highland Water Tower open house, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sat, July 18

We staffed informational booths at a Meto Transit bus stop and community event along Snelling Ave. We had conversations about the study with a total of 148 people, asking them what improvements they would like to see. Participants at the pop-up events were invited to leave comment cards and vote on their most pressing concerns with an interactive sticker activity, which resulted in 121 “votes”.

General themes

During public engagement, several recurring comments emerged:

• People do not feel comfortable traveling on Snelling Ave. and Montreal Ave. because they believe vehicles speed or are otherwise too aggressive.
• Many people felt especially unsafe crossing Snelling Ave. and want to see pedestrian infrastructure improvements such as pedestrian median islands, rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) and bump-outs.
• There is also interest in improving biking experience since people feel unsafe biking along Snelling Ave. and Montreal Ave. and find it inconvenient to bike along parallel routes.
• Many people felt that vehicle turning movements at intersections were unsafe for other drivers and pedestrians alike.
• There is support for improved bus infrastructure.

Overall, the most frequently mentioned locations along Snelling Ave. were at the following intersections:

• Dayton Ave. - Pedestrians and bus riders feel unsafe crossing here and that aggressive driving is a concern.
• Selby Ave. – Pedestrians feel unsafe because of turning vehicles, and high traffic volumes conversely drivers feel frustrated due to long wait for left-turns.
• Grand Ave. – Pedestrian volume is very high here; making turns (right and left) is complicated.
• Randolph Ave. – Pedestrians feel unsafe here; many mentions of pedestrian-driver turning conflicts.
• Jefferson Ave. – Desire for better pedestrian signals and improved bike infrastructure along Jefferson Ave. bike boulevard.
• Palace Ave. – Pedestrians desire safer crossing to access Mattocks Park.
• Ford Pkwy. – Dual left is confusing and makes it difficult to see pedestrians.
• Montreal Ave. – Concerns regarding slip lane.

Next steps

Using the current conditions of the road and the public input we received, we’ll develop solutions to address the needs and opportunities. These solutions will be shared with the public for additional feedback later this winter.

In July and August, we asked community members to share their experiences with Snelling Ave. and Montreal Ave. through public meetings, community events, and an online survey and comment map. Thank you to everyone who took part.

The study team is reviewing what we heard and documenting current road conditions. This information will help us develop potential improvement ideas. We’ll share those ideas and ask for more public feedback later in the study.

The online survey and comment map closed on Wed, Aug. 5. If you weren’t able to participate or couldn’t attend a meeting, you can still share your thoughts. Leave a comment and send us questions, or reach out to the study team anytime.

You can also watch the online public meeting recording to learn more about the study.

Sign up for email updates to stay informed and learn about future opportunities to share your input.

Public meetings and events

Upcoming

Information on upcoming meetings will be posted as details become available. Sign up for email updates to receive information on upcoming meetings and opportunities to provide feedback on this study.

Past

July 29, 2026: Virtual public meeting

• Watch the meeting recording

July 22, 2026: In-person public meeting, Macalester College, St. Paul

July 18, 2026: In-person outreach, Highland Tower pop-up, St. Paul

July 7, 2026: In-person outreach, Dayton Ave. bus station, St. Paul

Public meeting accommodations

MnDOT invites and encourages participation by all people in their programs, services and activities. If you need an ASL, a foreign language interpreter, or documents in an alternative format (such as braille, large print or in a different language) at no cost, please email your request to Janet Miller at ADArequest.dot@state.mn.us or call 651-366-4720. Relay service: 711.

If you need any other reasonable accommodation to participate (such as seating modification or auxiliary aids), please email your request to Accessibility.DOT@state.mn.us or call 1-833-400-8432. Relay service: 711.

Americans with Disabilities ActSpeakers and raised arrows on APS signals provide information about the intersection to pedestrians with hearing and visual impairment.

All MnDOT - both new construction and rehabilitation projects - must include evaluation to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Components can include, but are not limited to adding curb cuts, truncated domes and accessible pedestrian signals. Read about MnDOT's transition plan to comply with the ADA.

Specifics for this study

• Determine what accessibility improvements are needed for a 2030 resurfacing project