While safety measures had already been improved at the St. Paul intersection where a driver fatally struck a pedestrian on Monday, intersections along West Seventh Street remain dangerous, neighborhood organizations said Tuesday.

Police on Tuesday identified the pedestrian as Bekele Yrnbab, 69, of St. Paul. They said Monday that it appeared he was crossing the street against a red light.

Other tenants of Sibley Manor, the large apartment complex on the south side of West Seventh Street, have been struck and injured while crossing the busy road, as has an employee, said Kathy Bell, the apartments’ asset manager, who’s worked there for 16 years. Sibley Plaza shopping center is across from the apartment buildings and there are bus stops on both sides of West Seventh Street.

“There’s a ton of pedestrian traffic in this area,” Bell said. Past crashes appeared to have happened when drivers were still traveling at high speeds after exiting Minnesota 5 and running a red light while distracted, she said.

There have been gradual improvements at West Seventh Street and West Maynard Drive, where Yrnbab was crossing, Bell said. That included adding audible messages for pedestrians, which tell them whether they can walk when they push the button to cross. In 2017, the city installed a leading pedestrian interval, which gives pedestrians a 5-second head start before the light changes to green for drivers, according to Public Works.

“It seems to have helped,” Bell said. “Years ago, we had more people hit. … This is probably the safest this intersection has been. It’s just a very, very busy street.”

The West Seventh Street and West Maynard Drive intersection had an average of 31,500 vehicles pass through as of 2018, according to Minnesota Department of Transportation data. That’s one of the busiest street segments in St. Paul, said Lisa Hiebert, Public Works spokeswoman.

MnDOT, which is in charge of West Seventh Street, “is looking at making some interim safety improvements along the West Seventh corridor later this year,” according to Michael Corbett, MnDOT West Seventh Street project manager. “Most improvements will focus on increasing pedestrian safety across West Seventh by installing pavement markings and signage to increase crosswalk visibility. Additional improvements will focus on eliminating or reducing trip hazards from uneven sidewalk panels and paved surfaces.”

‘Heart-wrenching’

Yrnbab lived at Sibley Manor for a couple of years, Bell said, “and he and his wife were a lovely couple. … This was heart-wrenching.”

Police said Monday that the driver of a pickup truck who struck Yrnbab stayed at the scene and was cooperating with the investigation. The crash happened just before 7:30 a.m., which was before sunrise.

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There are 55 buildings comprising Sibley Manor, with a couple thousand people living there. Though there are traffic lights at West Maynard Drive, there is no marked crosswalk or flashing pedestrian crossing lights a block away at East Maynard Drive, Bell said.

“I’ve been begging for help on that,” Bell said. “Next week, it’s going to be below zero and our tenants are absolutely not going to walk” to West Maynard Drive to cross at the traffic light.

Though pedestrians in Minnesota can legally cross at any intersection, regardless of whether there’s a painted crosswalk, that doesn’t mean it’s always safe for them. West Seventh Street is “a really tough street to cross, not just here, but all the way down,” Bell said.

Neighborhood group asks for interim improvements

The West 7th/Fort Road Federation, which represents the area from the edge of downtown to just past Interstate 35E, sent a letter to MnDOT in November, saying “interim pedestrian safety improvements are urgently needed” at 15 intersections along West Seventh Street.

“While the severe and long-standing lapses in critical maintenance make traveling on this street unpleasant for vehicle drivers, conditions for pedestrians and cyclists have become outright dangerous,” the letter said. “For many elderly residents and people using wheelchairs or facing other mobility limitations, the street is now entirely off-limits for them due to the safety risks.”

MnDOT has committed “to increasing crosswalk visibility via repainting and/or upgrading the pavement markings in crosswalk areas, and potentially adding regulatory and warning signage,” Corbett said.

The letter from the West 7th/Ford Road Federation also said that community members and local businesses “understand that large-scale rehabilitation of West 7th is in the works, and we all eagerly anticipate the mill and overlay project. Unfortunately, while this work was originally slated to commence in 2023, this vital project has once again been pushed back.”

The MnDOT website indicates construction is planned for spring 2027 through fall 2028. It was pushed back to get more community input on the project that covers the whole West Seventh Street corridor, said Kevin Walker, a MnDOT spokesman. MnDOT is planning an open house for March, with details to be announced, to hear from community members.

Seeking grant

The Highland District Council last week approved sending a letter of support to the city for a Ramsey County Critical Corridors grant application for West Seventh Street. The city is working with the Highland and West 7th district councils and plans to apply for the next pre-development planning round of the program, according to Hiebert.

With Sibley Plaza adding Aldi, Planet Fitness, Soul Lao restaurant and Wandering Leaf Brewery, and Neighborhood House scheduled to soon open a new service center on Montreal Avenue south of West Seventh Street, “the infrastructure for residents to be able to walk there is just not in place,” the letter said.

“Pedestrian deaths on West 7th occur yearly, and the county is adding a street car or rapid bus line, which is good for travel, but will also add complications for pedestrians at so many poorly designed intersections,” the letter continued. “The idea of having a few intersections that are safer to cross along the corridor is enthusiastically received by residents, business owners and all pedestrians along West 7th.”

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