St. Paul approves raised, separated bike trail on Summit Avenue

Plans for the Summit Avenue Regional Trail won a 6-1 vote from the St. Paul City Council on May 24, 2023, after more than four hours of testimony. The plans now go to the Metropolitan Council to meet a June 30 deadline.
Members of the Summit Avenue group Save Our Street, historic preservationists and some cyclists said the plan is flawed and should be discarded. They raised issues including loss of trees and impacts on the street’s historic districts. Some brought up reports from project engineering consultant Bolton and Menk, which raised several technical questions about the project itself.
Others asked for a delayed vote, questioning why a decision came immediately after public testimony.
But many bicycling advocates from across the Twin Cities hailed the vote as a big win. Not only is a raised, separated bike trail promoted as safer and providing the chance for more to enjoy the street, a new trail on Summit is seen be advocates as a key tie into the greater regional bike facilities network.
A long-range plan calls for the Ayd Mill Road and the Mississippi River Boulevard trails in St. Paul to tie into Minneapolis’ Midtown Greenway via land along area railroads and the railroad High Bridge over the Mississippi River. Mississippi River Boulevard and Summit are regional trails, and receive regional as well as city funds for upkeep and improvements. A decision on whether Midtown Greenway should become a regional trail has been pushed to June.
The vote on May 24 isn’t expected to end many months of debate. The vote came the same day that Ramsey County District Court Judge Patrick Diamond denied a temporary restraining order sought by the advocacy group Save Our Streets, Summit Avenue Residential Preservation Association (SARPA) and attorney Robert Cattanach to put a hold on the project. The lawsuit was focused on city delays in meeting data access requests focused on the trail. Cattanach said his group will be evaluating its options. He maintains the city hasn’t followed proper procedures with the project.
The separated raised trail would run the length of Summit. Design would vary by street segment. Much controversy centers on Summit east of Lexington Parkway where about 50 percent of on-street parking would be removed. That brought up concerns of reception halls, places of worship, sober houses and residents losing parking. Several women said they already don’t feel safe walking at night, and would have to walk longer distances when the trail goes in.
More than 200 people filled the council chambers, with more than 90 signing up to speak. City officials have received thousands of comments for and against the project.
Rebuilding the entirely of Summit would cost about $100 million; incorporating the bike trail could add about $12 million more. The project has no timeline and no funding, although the city’s proposed 1 percent sales tax increase is seen as a possible source. The sales tax would have to be approved by voters, possibly this November.
Andy Rodriguez, director of Parks and Recreation, and Sean Kershaw, director of Public Works, said there will be many opportunities for public input as planning goes ahead. The project will be built in segments, over a period of several years. Kershaw said street reconstruction has to go ahead regardless of the bike trail, because Summit is in poor condition. Parts of the street and its underground infrastructure, have not been rebuilt for more than a century.
One big point of debate is tree loss. There are 1,561 trees in the Summit corridor. City and Save Our Street studies vary widely as to how many trees would be lost.
Opponents, who outnumbered supporters by more than two to one, raised many arguments against the plan. Several said the plan is being pushed along by a small band of cyclists.