The St. Paul City Council is voting Wednesday on a plan to replace a driving lane with a bicycle lane as part of a larger road project they already approved.

The council last week approved a mill and overlay for Concordia and Rondo avenues, from Snelling Avenue to Marion Street. Crews will remove the top layer of the street and install new pavement.

The work also includes pedestrian improvements and the removal of one driving lane in favor of an on-street bike lane, pending Wednesday’s vote.

Despite what Council Member Anika Bowie and St. Paul Public Works officials called badly-needed street improvements, several residents have objected both to their assessment for the mill and overlay project and the prospect of losing a driving lane to bike infrastructure.

Facing bills ranging between $3,000 and $5,000 per house to be paid over 10 years, several residents showed up to the July 17 city council meeting to voice their opposition.

“That is a lot of money to pay just for improvements of the street,” resident Susanne Lovejoy said. “We are just working people and $5,000 plus is a lot of money to pay.”

Many homeowners along Rondo Avenue don’t bike, they said, and they object to paying for something they aren’t going to use. They also worry the bike lane will make existing traffic congestion even worse.

Christine Flowers, a resident of the Rondo neighborhood, wrote a letter to the city council calling the bike lane a form of gentrification.

“This is retraumatizing Black people all over again,” she wrote.

Bowie, the council member, said the mill and overlay project, along with the bike lane, will deter speeding in the area and increase pedestrian safety.

“Rondo is a place that deserves investment,” Bowie said. “But I don’t want to be tone deaf to the idea of the cost being a burden.”

Bowie said she recognized the need for more community outreach about the project and proposed a deferral payment plan for those ages 65 and older, retirees and active military members. She also participated in an outreach event during the recent Rondo Days Festival, and Public Works hosted an information booth at the festival, as well.

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