Capital City Bikeway Interim Design Study

Project Update 2/4/2021:
St. Peter Street or Wabasha Street Bikeway

Work on the Capital City Bikeway Interim Design Study continues. The project team has first focused on implementing the 9th/10th Street bikeway in 2020.

Prior to the pandemic, the City held three open houses to gather community input about the St. Peter Street or Wabasha Street bikeway. Saint Paul Public Works is using the community feedback it received to finalize the project recommendations. These recommendations will be shared publicly in a recorded video presentation available on this webpage in the next couple of months.

The video presentation will include a general project update, discussion of interim and long-term design concepts, and Public Works’ recommendation for the segment of the Capital City Bikeway located on one of three corridors:

• St. Peter Street
• St. Peter Street/Market Street
• Wabasha Street/10th Street/St. Peter Street

There will be an opportunity to submit questions and/or share comments via an online form on this webpage. The project will also have a public hearing before the City Council at a future date to be determined.

9th/10th Street Bikeway Implementation

Fall 2020, the bikeway on 10th Street from St. Peter Street to Jackson Street and on 9th Street from Jackson Street to Broadway Street was constructed. The work was done in coordination with the Downtown Pavement and Sidewalk Improvement Project.

The segment of 10th Street between Dorothy Day Place and St. Peter Street will be implemented in spring 2021.

The bikeway is a two-way bikeway on the south side of 10th Street from Dorothy Day Place to Jackson Street and one-way bikeways on both sides of 9th Street from Jackson Street to Broadway Street.

• Detailed map of the 9th Street and 10th Street bikeway

Addition of the bikeway on 9th Street and 10th Street includes the following changes to the roads:

• 10th Street between Cedar Street and Jackson Street is a one-way road with westbound traffic only and the new bikeway.

• On-street parking (and meters) was removed on both sides of 10th Street from St. Peter Street to Cedar Street, the south side of 10th Street from Cedar Street to Jackson Street and the south side of 9th Street. Parking remains on the north side of 10th Street between Cedar Street and Jackson Street.

• Concrete median buffers were constructed along portions of 10th Street to separate the bikeway from the roadway. Access to driveways is maintained.

What is the Capital City Bikeway?

The Capital City Bikeway is a planned network of bicycle facilities throughout downtown Saint Paul. The bikeway network will connect to existing trails and on-street bikeways, allowing people comfortable and convenient bicycle access to and through downtown.

The development of bicycle facilities in the downtown was a top priority of the Saint Paul Bicycle Plan, adopted by City Council in March 2015. Following the adoption of the City’s Bicycle Plan, the City developed the Capital City Bikeway: Network Study and Design Guide in 2016, which includes a bikeway network study, bikeway network map, bikeway design guide, and bikeway implementation plan.

The first segment of the Capital City Bikeway was completed in 2017 along Jackson Street from University Avenue to Kellogg Boulevard. The network will include bikeways on Kellogg Boulevard, 9^th Street/10^th Street, and St. Peter Street, St. Peter Street/Market Street, or Wabasha Street.

What is the Interim Design Study?

The Capital City Bikeway Interim Design Study will build off the work completed in 2016-2017 and take the network development a step further. The project includes the development and evaluation of interim designs along with a public engagement process for the following segments of the Capital City Bikeway:

• 9th Street/10th Street
• St. Peter Street, St. Peter Street/Market Street, or Wabasha Street

The bikeway designs are considered “interim” because they will be at street-level and incorporated into the existing, between-the-curbs street width. The long-term vision for each of these segments is to develop protected bikeways, but design and development of those bikeways will likely not happen until there are full street reconstruction projects along each segment.

The project is being conducted in 2019 due to street resurfacing projects that are taking place over the next several years on 9th Street, 10th Street, St. Peter Street, and Wabasha Street. Bikeways will be incorporated as part of the street resurfacing projects on 9^th Street, 10^th Street, and either St. Peter Street or Wabasha Street.

The Capital City Bikeway: Network Study and Design Guide recommended St. Peter Street as the primary north/south route on the west side of downtown. This project will include an evaluation of two potential routes - St. Peter Street or Wabasha Street - as well as engagement with stakeholders to help arrive at a recommended route alignment.

Engagement Activities and Materials

City Council Public Hearing - Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Saint Paul City Council held a public hearing on the proposed plan to implement the Interim Capital City Bikeway design on 9th Street and 10th Street between Dorothy Day Place and the I-94 bridge on Wednesday, May 6 at 3:30 p.m., with an opportunity for public comment.

• Notice sent to Residents and Property Owners

3rd Open House - Thursday, February 6, 2020

This was an opportunity to see and provide feedback on updated design concepts, including the recommended design for 9th Street/10th Street corridor.

• 3rd Open House Invite
• Project Overview and Community Feedback
• 9th/10th Street Corridor Recommended Design Concept
• Technical Evaluation Matrix for Concepts A, B & C
• Concept A – St. Peter Street
• Concept B – St. Peter Street / Market Street
• Concept C – Wabasha Street / 10th Street / St. Peter Street

2nd Open House - Thursday, October 10, 2019

This was an opportunity to provide feedback on design concepts for different segments of 9th Street/10th Street and different configurations of bike lanes on St. Peter Street, St. Peter Street/Market Street, and Wabasha Street. 

• Open House Invite
• Cross Sections for St. Peter Street and Wabasha Street
• 9th Street/10th Street Circulation and Parking
  • Segment A of 9th Street/10th Street
  • Segment B of 9th Street/10th Street
  • Segment C of 9th Street/10th Street

Open House - Thursday, May 30, 2019

This was the first opportunity to learn about the project and provide some initial feedback about the corridors.

• Open House Invite Postcard
• Overview of Interim Design Study
• Map of Interim Design Study Corridors 
• Design Concepts for 9th Street/10th Street
• Ranking the Importance of Various Features on St. Peter Street and Wabasha Street
• Aerial Maps of 9th Street/10th Street and St. Peter Street and Wabasha Street (large document)

Project Materials

• Project Information Sheet
• Anticipated Timeline (Spring 2019)