Summit Avenue Reconstruction

FAQs

1. What Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) has been approved for this project?

   Statement on Summit Avenue - CIB 

   On December 11, 2024, Saint Paul City Council approved and adopted the annual Public Works five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). This CIP included three Common Cent-funded (sales tax) street reconstruction projects for 2028, totaling $43.1 million.  

   • One of the Common Cent projects was Summit Avenue Street Reconstruction from Mississippi River Boulevard to Fairview Avenue for $20.3 million.  

   • Also approved with the Public Works CIP were three additional Common Cent projects for 2029, totaling $45.1 million.  

   • In 2029, the Summit Avenue Street Reconstruction is planned to continue from Fairview Avenue to Hamline Avenue at an estimated $21.9 million. 

   Saint Paul Public Works annually shares their upcoming street reconstruction projects as part of the Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) process for awareness and public transparency.  The CIB committee does not vote on or rank Public Works CIP projects.  

   The CIB Committee meeting held on June 23, 2025, Public Works presented several projects for funding, including the 2028 Summit Avenue Street Reconstruction. The CIB Committee finalized their recommendation to the Mayor’s Office with $3.57 million designated for Summit Avenue. Public Works submitted their five-year plan (CIP) to the CIB Committee on May 19, 2025. 

   According to the June 30, 2025, report, the CIB Committee approved the $3.57 million for design and construction administration. The next steps in the process include consideration by the Mayor and City Council. 

   What are the funds being used for? 

   Requesting a portion of the funds in advance of construction is standard practice to cover a variety of engineering and design-related project expenses. This initial funding, starting in 2026, is expected to be used for the following project development-related work:

   • Discretionary Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) for the entire Summit Avenue corridor, including a review of historic considerations  

   • Public engagement efforts for the first construction segment (Mississippi River Boulevard to Fairview Avenue) 

   • Engineering, planning, and initial design efforts for the first construction segment (Mississippi River Boulevard to Fairview Avenue) 

   • Request for Proposals (RFP) for an engineering/design consultant for the first construction segment (Mississippi River Boulevard to Fairview Avenue). Public Works plans to issue an RFP for an engineering/design consultant by the end of 2025. 

2. Previous Maintenance on Summit Avenue

   Over the last few years, Public Works has done work on various parts of Summit Avenue to maintain the pavement. In 2022, Snelling Avenue to Lexington Parkway underwent a mill and overlay (a removal of the deteroriated top layer of the road, replacing it with hot-mix asphalt). In 2023, the city skim paved (laying a thin layer of asphalt over the existing surface of the road to seal a large section of the drive lanes on the street) on two segments of Summit Avenue: Lexington Parkway to Victoria and Mississippi River Boulevard to Snelling Avenue. Both of these temporary interventions were intended to extend the functional life of Summit Avenue until we can do a full reconstruction. They were not intended to address underlying road conditions or utility work.

3. Why is structural and infrastructure reinvestment necessary?

   Summit Avenue is one of the city’s oldest engineered streets, and much of its water, sewer, storm, and utility infrastructure is reaching the end of its lifespan. A simple resurfacing is not feasible.

   A full reconstruction is required to replace aging underground systems, address pavement failure, improve drainage, upgrade ADA access, and modernize the corridor in a unified, long-term rebuild. Because reconstruction is needed anyway, integrating the regional trail now is the most cost-efficient time to do so. 

4. How will the Summit Reconstruction Project approach safety, accessibility, and the need for separated facilities?

   Summit Avenue carries enough vehicle traffic that industry best practices recommend separated bicycle facilities, meaning a bike space protected by a curb, landscaped buffer, or other physical barrier. Painted lanes alone do not meet these standards on a corridor with Summit’s volumes.

   While the existing on-street bike lanes work well for some, they do not meet the safety or comfort needs of all users. The planning process aims to balance multiple priorities and design a facility that improves safety, reduces conflicts, offers a high-quality recreational experience, and serves users of all ages and abilities, including families, seniors, and people using mobility devices.

   Regional trail guidelines, including the Metropolitan Council’s “Linking Trails” concept, also prioritize separated, multi-use paths adjacent to roadways. Incorporating this facility type aligns Summit with regional standards and enhances accessibility. 

5. Why was Summit Avenue selected to be a regional trail with a bike lane and chosen for full street reconstruction?

   Summit was chosen for a number of factors including:

   • Location connecting the River Road Trail and the Sam Morgan Trail.
   • Central location. Summit Avenue's lack of grid interruption with major topographical and existing road impediments makes it beneficial (e.g.; the street is uninterrupted by Ayd Mill Road, college campuses, other institutions, highways, parks, or street grid terminuses).
   • The street's existing status as a bikeway in multiple regional and city plans.
   • There is a need for reconstruction due to severely aged infrastructure underneath the roadway.

6. Current Project Phasing

   The first phase (from Mississippi River Boulevard to Fairview) of the Summit Avenue reconstruction project is at the initial stages of the multi-year process. The city has hired a consultant to begin working on several things, including conducting an Environmental Assessment Worksheet, existing condition land survey work, and beginning community engagement efforts. This consultant's public engagement work will center fundamental questions, including:

   • whether Summit needs to be fully reconstructed,
   • the best alignment of a bike trail on Summit,
   • how to best analyze tree impacts and to preserve trees during construction utilizing the tree preservation ordinance,
   • how to preserve the historic character of Summit and enhance how all residents experience it, and
   • how we can all look back on this process and feel voices and preferences were heard and incorporated.

   Additionally, Saint Paul Public Works and Saint Paul Parks and Recreation have been involved with a citywide effort to create a new tree preservation ordinance, building a formal, and more transparent process of preserving the city’s tree canopy with any construction projects that impact public areas. City Council has the final approval on the agenda for mid-July, and it will help guide our work moving forward.

7. Common Cent and Summit Avenue

   The Summit Avenue reconstruction project corridor is approximately 5 miles long, the longest corridor project for Common Cent, as approved by Saint Paul voters in 2023. Summit Avenue has been tentatively scheduled in segments over the next 20 years to coordinate with other large street reconstruction projects (city, county, state, Metro Transit) that are nearby or will overlap this project area. This first-phase of the project between Mississippi River Boulevard and Fairview Avenue is anticipated to begin reconstruction as early as 2028, moving from west to east along the corridor due to the coordination with other projects. 

   The funding for this project is restricted to only those that were proposed with the 2023 voter-approved Common Cent proposal. The City recently lost a lawsuit related to a Saint Paul Parks and Recreation project that was not originally listed in the Common Cent proposal, therefore, we cannot redirect or reallocate those funds to other non-Common Cent projects.

8. How will the new tree preservation ordinance impact Summit Avenue Reconstruction?

   In addition to continued land survey work that began in July, a specific tree survey will begin the week of August 17. This work will be conducted by a certified arborist for the purpose of verifying the location and identifying the size, species, class, and condition (overall health) of each tree along the entire project corridor. This tree survey work follows the City's new tree preservation ordinance. Once completed, the City's Forestry staff will provide a final review and approval of the arborist's final survey. 

9. What is land survey work and why is it happening?

   Starting the week of July 20, Saint Paul Public Works began the initial land survey work for the Summit Avenue Reconstruction project. The land survey is a standard practice performed before any planning or design work begins on all street reconstruction projects. The purpose of a land survey is to locate, measure, and document existing infrastructure and trees. Land surveying does not denote that construction activities are about to begin, but rather informs and supports needed data for the forthcoming planning and community engagement process.  As of July 29, the survey work along Summit Avenue has only comprised of locating control point reference markers. The remainder of the survey work will take place over the next several weeks and will include the entire Summit Avenue corridor from Mississippi River Boulevard to Kellogg Boulevard.