MN: New West Seventh Street transit plan ready for public input

Officials working on developing a new transit and pedestrian concept for the West Seventh Street corridor that will connect downtown St. Paul to the Mall of America in Bloomington are asking for public input online and through a series of meetings.

The city of St. Paul, Ramsey County, Metro Transit and the Minnesota Department of Transportation are sharing an updated concept for the 12-miles corridor that is based on a previous analysis led by the county.

Costing an estimated $450 million to $550 million, the new concept centers around bus rapid transit connecting downtown St. Paul’s Union Depot to the Mall of America, along with the reconstruction of West Seventh Street and the creation of a new 5-mile multi-use trail on an abandoned railroad spur to the former Ford Motor Co. plant that will connect to the new Highland Bridge development, officials said.

It replaces a previous plan, abandoned last year by Ramsey County over concerns about the complexity of connecting to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, to install a trolley-like streetcar along the corridor. Critics had also cited the streetcar option’s $2 billion price tag and impact on West Seventh businesses, including the loss of on-street parking.

“Public transportation is the backbone of a thriving, connected city,” said Mayor Melvin Carter in a written statement. “The need to improve the West 7th Street Corridor remains clear. We are committed to delivering a solution that expands access, enhances surrounding infrastructure, and makes it safer and more reliable for everyone to move through our city.”

Metropolitan Council chair Charlie Zelle said his organization was looking forward to improving transit access along the corridor.

“The West 7th Street Corridor connects many key regional and community destinations and is a significant part of our transit system,” said Zelle in the statement. “Investing in transit improvements that are fast, frequent, and reliable will benefit the people who live, work, and play in this area and is essential to advancing our regional transit network.”

St. Paul City Council president Rebecca Noecker said it is important that local businesses, residents and transit users are involved in this stage of planning.

“I am excited to act on this opportunity to create a future where our streets are more than just throughways, but are places where businesses thrive, pedestrians feel safe, and people can easily access reliable transit,” Noecker said in a statement.

Officials say residents can go to stpaul.gov/West7 to review the concept and provide feedback.

In addition, residents can attend the following meetings for more information. The meetings will include a presentation about the project status, benefits and what to expect. Officials say the meetings will include “a roundtable-style conversation where participants can provide feedback and ask questions.”

• April 8, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Highland Community Center, 1978 Ford Parkway
• April 9, 12 to 1 p.m., virtual (login information at stpaul.gov/west7)
• April 10, 5 to 6:30 p.m., Palace Recreation Center, 781 Palace Ave.

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