A year-long study is underway for a busy corridor in West St. Paul and residents are invited to weigh in on potential improvements later this month.

A map showing a corridor of South Robert Street/Highway 3 in West St. Paul that is being studied for safety improvements.  (Courtesy of Minnesota Department of Transportation)

The retail-heavy stretch of South Robert Street between Annapolis Street and Mendota Road — which underwent a $42.5 million reconstruction that was completed in 2017 — is in the spotlight again as additional safety and connectivity improvements will be considered at a Nov. 19 public meeting.

The latest study of the corridor, which began in February, identified key objectives for improvement including reducing speeding and the number of crashes as well as improving safety, connectivity and accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists, according to the project page.

The study, which costs $175,000, will coordinate with Metro Transit to prepare the corridor for the upcoming G Line arterial Bus Rapid Transit service as it will include new on-street transit stations.

The G Line is planned to run primarily along Rice and Robert Streets from Little Canada through downtown St. Paul and to the Dakota County Northern Service Center in West St. Paul.

Safety concerns

Themes from the public engagement process have included speeding, dangerous left turns, safety for pedestrians, a need for improved transit amenities and sightline concerns.

Prior to the reconstruction, the Minnesota Department of Transportation had deemed it a high-crash corridor due to the number of crashes and their severity. Between 2005 and 2014, the corridor’s 23 intersections were the site of 1,025 crashes.

Following the reconstruction, between 2018 and 2022, there were 462 crashes at the intersections along the corridor, according to MnDOT, and an additional 146 crashes at other locations along South Robert Street.

This past spring, a 36-year-old Brooklyn Park woman died from her injuries after she was struck by a pickup truck at the intersection of South Robert Street and Wentworth Avenue.

Leticia Maria Vasquez, who had the right of way, was walking in the crosswalk when a 23-year-old motorist was making a left-hand turn on a flashing yellow arrow.

How to participate

The public meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at the Wentworth Library, located at 199 E. Wentworth Ave. in West St. Paul.

For those unable to attend the meeting, there will be an online survey accepting feedback until Nov. 26. The survey can be found at http://pipr.es/nYYy6YC.

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