Highway 5/East 7th Street and Highway 61/Arcade Street

From February through August 2022, we hosted two in-person public meetings, virtual public meetings, put out an online survey, met with agency partners, schools, and community organizations, organized three targeted business meetings, hosted several informational tables at community events, and conducted door-to-door business outreach along E. 7th St. and Arcade St.

We engaged with residents and businesses and gathered feedback on the proposed design alternatives for each of the sections along E. 7th St. and Arcade St. between I-94 and Roselawn Ave. The community shared their preferences for each of the sections and provided suggestions for improving the road for people walking/rolling, using transit, biking, and driving. Comments collected during this engagement helped us narrow down the design options.

Visit the meetings page to view the community engagement activities and the public meetings conducted between February 2022 and August 2022.

To prepare for construction in 2024, the project team began conversations with the community in March 2021 that will set the foundation for a continued dialogue as we plan future improvements. In total, we received input from more than 850 individuals through a community survey, an online comment map, two virtual public meetings, and virtual meetings with nine different organizations and government entities.

In our conversations with community members, we heard safety and accessibility concerns about the condition of the roads today and ideas for the future. Key topics of interest included:

• Improving and adding sidewalks
• Adding more places to safely cross the street
• Adding lighting
• Consider adding a protected bike lane
• Reducing vehicle speeds

Overall, people expressed support for safety and accessibility improvements throughout the project area. Many agreed that the existing conditions in the project area needed improvement – particularly the sidewalks and vehicle speeds. Our planned improvements seek to address those primary concerns.

These comments and community engagement activities have been compiled into a public report. For a copy of the full report, please contact us. A short overview of the feedback we heard during the virtual open houses and other community engagement activities can be viewed in the Hwy 5/E. 7th St. and Hwy 61/Arcade St. Summary Report (PDF).

A final design layout, or staff-approved layout, serves as documentation that the preferred alternative for a project has been selected and approved, and that the final design phase can begin. The final design layout shows the location, character, dimensions, access, and explanatory information about the road construction or improvement work being proposed. "Final layout" includes elements of the project like traffic lanes, shoulders, trails/sidewalks, turn lanes, and access points and closures. Some example elements that may follow the development of a final design layout include landscaping, pavement striping, roadway signing, lighting design, and right of way agreements.

The final design layouts are a refinement of the Proposed Final Design Layouts shared in November 2022. Much of the final design layouts remain similar to what was shared previously, with some changes highlighted below based upon feedback received, one-on-one stakeholder meetings, engineering refinement, and partner coordination.

What we heard

Previously, the E. 7th St. and Arcade St. project team solicited feedback from the community on the proposed design layouts. Below are key highlights of what we heard from the community:

• Vehicle safety:
  • Support for the travel lane reductions along both E. 7th St. and Arcade St. to improve safety for all travelers, specifically for those who walk, bike, and take transit.
• Parking:
  • Support for the preservation of on-street vehicle parking where needed and accepting trade-offs for less parking where demand is lower and other safety benefits can be achieved.
• Pedestrian safety:
  • Strong support for curb bumpouts/sidewalk extensions throughout the project area to shorten the pedestrian crossing distance, better define the parking areas, calm traffic, and discourage unsafe vehicle passing maneuvers.
  • Support for pedestrian median refuge islands at key locations along the project area to improve safety for pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
• Transit:
  • Concern for continued coordination between us and Metro Transit to ensure transit service in the project area is supported, enhanced, and made accessible with the project.
• Aesthetics:
  • A call to address pedestrian-scale lighting along the project area and to include streetscaping, beautification efforts, and landscaping.
• Community engagement:
  • Support for continued need to work directly with the community and stakeholders to weigh-in on final design decisions.

Layout refinements

• Project area-wide:
  • The E. 7th St. and Arcade St. project began as a resurfacing project, but through community engagement and assessment, the project now includes some areas of full road reconstruction. The areas that will be fully reconstructed include the E. 7th St. and Arcade St. intersection and Arcade St. between Lawson Ave. and Geranium Ave. A full reconstruction will allow us to implement safety features such as curb bumpouts for people walking and driving.
  • Local bus route 61 is now part of the Better Bus Routes (BBR) program and Metro Transit has coordinated with us to start implementing changes. BBR aims to strategically consolidate or eliminate bus stops to improve the speed and reliability of the service. We, and Metro Transit, are making every effort possible to align any BBR implementation with the E. 7th St. and Arcade St. project. All bus stops will also be made ADA-compliant.
• Segment A: E. 7th St. between I-94 and Mounds Blvd.
  • This segment remains unchanged from the proposed final design layouts shared in November 2022.
• The “porkchop” island at the Mounds Blvd. and E. 7th St. intersection was removed to improve safety for people walking and driving.
• Segment B: E. 7th St. between Mounds Blvd. and Minnehaha Ave.
  • The “porkchop” island at the Mounds Blvd. and E. 7th St. intersection was removed to improve safety for people walking and driving.
  • A center median pedestrian refuge island was added to the west crossing at the Eichenwald St. and E. 7th St. intersection to improve safety for people walking and bus stop access.
  • The south curb line of E. 7th St. was moved in by Sinnen St. to provide for a safer and shorter distance for people crossing at the existing flashing beacon in front of the Consulate of Mexico.
  • Added a curb bumpout at the Minnehaha Ave. and E. 7th St. intersection, and at the Beech St. intersection, to shorten the distance for people crossing, better define the parking areas, calm traffic, and discourage drivers from doing unsafe passing maneuvers.
• Segment C: Arcade St. between E. 7th St. and York Ave.
  • This segment remains unchanged from the proposed final design layouts shared in November 2022.
• Segment D: Arcade St. between York Ave. and Geranium Ave.
  • Curb lines were moved into the parking areas from York Ave. to Case Ave. to better define parking areas and create more space for the boulevard areas.
• Additional curb bump-outs on Arcade St. were added at Case Ave., Cook Ave., and Geranium Ave. intersections to shorten the distance for people crossing, better define the parking areas, calm traffic, and discourage drivers from doing unsafe passing maneuvers.
• Segment E: Arcade St. between Geranium Ave. and Wheelock Pkwy.
  • Modified the north curb line and added curb bumpouts at Hyancinth Ave. to shorten the distance for people crossing, better define the parking areas, calm traffic, and discourage drivers from doing unsafe passing maneuvers.
• The Johnson Senior High School parking lot will be improved to provide a safe layover area for Metro Transit buses.
• Segment F: Arcade St. between Wheelock Pkwy. and Larpenteur Ave.
  • This segment remains unchanged from the proposed final design layouts shared in November 2022.
• Segment G: Arcade St. between Larpenteur Ave. and Frost Ave./Parkway Dr.
  • We are partnering with St. Paul Parks and Recreation to add a new trail along the east side of Arcade St. as well as add a trail connection at Phalen Dr. with the parking lot reconstruction.

Project area's visual improvements to reflect community feedback

To ensure that the changes coming to E. 7th St. and Arcade St. align with the priorities of the community, the project team worked with a Visual Quality Advisory Committee. This committee was composed of community-driven members dedicated to supporting and cultivating spaces and opportunities that enrich the communities and cultural arts in the area. The committee helped examine the existing visual quality of the project area and provided insight into what people liked and disliked seeing.

The Visual Quality Advisory Committee members and the larger community  joined the project team at the E. 7th St. and Arcade St. Community Design Workshop in September 2023 to check-in and further refine concepts. These efforts allowed the project team to develop the Placemaking and Urban Design Framework Guide, which will be used as the project team finalizes the design plans and prepares for construction.

Highlights of the Placemaking and Urban Design Framework Guide

We engaged with the community about the potential improvements coming to E. 7th St. and Arcade St., it became clear that the visual quality of the project area was an essential improvement the community wanted to see. We sought and were granted a federal RAISE grant to improve the aesthetics and visual aspects of the project area. A Visual Quality Advisory Committee (VQAC) consisting of community members was established. The VQAC helped the project team determine:

• Community preferences and input for the project area
• Aesthetic and visual improvements
• Safety conditions and overall comfortability

Defining features

The visual quality of the project area can be impacted through three categories:

• Design elements help minimize the impact on the surrounding environment and maximize aesthetic improvements (e.g. lane alignments, pedestrian and cyclist facilities).
• Aesthetic treatments enhance the appearance of necessary elements (e.g. surface finishes and pavement texture).
• Aesthetic features enhance visual and social quality beyond basic items necessary to address safety, operations, and maintenance needs (e.g. decorative landscaping and street furniture).

Visual Quality process

The visual quality process consisted of multiple components:

1. A Visual Quality Advisory Committee (VQAC): The VQAC consisted of community-driven members, dedicated to supporting and cultivating spaces and opportunities that enrich the communities they represent. The committee was able to:
   • Create a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis to identify priorities for the project area
   • Engage in a geographic exercise to understand priority locations for visual quality improvements
   • Share preferences in which intersections in the project area to prioritize
   • Attend a two-day community design workshop to collaborate with the project team and architects to design visual quality concepts
2. A multi-day Community Design Workshop: Much of the feedback from the community was shared during large group presentations and applied to the Visual Quality Improvements broadly, rather than at specific locations. Feedback from the two-day workshop includes comments from the community. Suggestions included:
   • Partnering with community organizations to maintain plantings
   • Establishing a clear outline of maintenance expectations for the community
   • Using patterns and designs that reflect cultures in the area on concrete, benches and banners
   • Reserving space for public art in the project area
   • Honoring the differences between E. 7th and Arcade streets, while visually unifying both streets
   • Addressing visual quality at the intersections of Maryland Ave. and Arcade St.
   • Discussing visual quality improvements to the street with business owners
   • Integrating natural stone into landscaping
   • Visually connect to Phalen Regional Park by identifying natural resource themes in local cultures
   • Farnsworth Upper Campus – Pattern Design
     • The project continued to work with community members to develop potential patterns that could be seen throughout the project area. To design the patterns, the project team partnered with VQAC member and Community Artist, Gita Ghei and Farnsworth Upper Campus 7th and 8th grade art students. The student design workshops took place November 2023 during art class. Students were asked to come up with designs that they felt were representative of themselves and the East Side.
3. Parameters Memo: The project team consulted overlapping jurisdictions in the project area to understand what elements could or couldn’t be changed and the maintenance implications of visual quality changes. Please contact the project team for access to the Aesthetics Parameters Memo.

Visual composition

This section summarizes the visual preferences for the E. 7th St. and Arcade St. project area. The project team has applied preferences to select locations given right-of-way availability, maintenance considerations, and renderings showing visual quality treatments in certain locations to demonstrate how the streets could look once the project is completed or with additional projects in the future. There are three different timeframes that emerged from this process:

• Immediate needs include aesthetic preferences to be incorporated into the construction package by the end of 2024.
• Intermediate needs include aesthetic preferences to be incorporated into the planting phase of this project, after roadway construction.
• Aspirational needs include the VQAC and community preferences for public art and other “add-on” visual elements outside the right-of-way, the planting phase of the project, and what the RAISE grant funds can support.

Visual Quality Design Concept examples:

• E. 7th St. and Arcade St. (1)
• E. 7th St. and Arcade St. (2)
• Arcade St. and Neid Ln.
• Arcade St. and Neid Ln. (maintenance)
• Arcade St. from Sims Ave. to Case Ave.
• Arcade St. and Wheelock Pkwy.
• Arcade St. and Wheelock Pkwy. (maintenance)

For a full list of Visual Quality Design Concepts please contact the project staff to request a copy of the Urban Design Framework Guide.

Potential aesthetic elements and treatments

This section provides six proposed visual quality elements and treatments included in the visual quality design concepts for various locations:

• Pavement
• Furniture
• Lighting
• Gateway Monuments
• Public Art
• Vegetation

Maintenance

While $550,000 of federal RAISE grant will fund many immediate and intermediate needs, maintenance after installation is a critical concern for the VQAC and the community overall.

While we maintain trees along the project area, we must enter partnerships with local jurisdictions, such as the city of St. Paul, to maintain any non-tree plantings. The city of St. Paul, however, has indicated they will not maintain non-tree planting, and therefore, a third-party maintenance partner must commit. Depending on agreements made by all parties, three levels of maintenance vary for potential landscaping plans and are as follows:

• Level 1 – No Maintenance Partner
• Level 2 – Maintenance Partner and Lower-Maintenance Plantings
• Level 3 – Maintenance Partner and Higher-Maintenance Plantings