One of the big reasons St. Paul was pushing to add bike lanes to Cleveland Avenue this summer could be taken off the table.
Following a vote by the St. Paul City Council to delay a portion of the project for further study after concerned residents packed a public hearing Wednesday, Ramsey County is considering holding off on the street resurfacing project it had planned for the stretch, according to Kathy Jaschke, final design engineer for the county.
That matters because St. Paul had hoped to piggy-back the bike lane addition on to the county’s project to minimize costs. If the county is willing to hold off on its work, the city has more time to decide if it wants bike lanes.
“Based on what happened last night we want to reassess and talk to the city some more and talk to the county board,” Jaschke said on Thursday.
The city’s bike project would add cycling lanes along Cleveland Avenue between Summit Avenue and Highland Parkway as part of a new citywide initiative to beef up bike infrastructure.
The rub for many opponents is the hit parking would take along the stretch to accommodate the lanes. Parking would be lost on the west side of Cleveland between Grand and James avenues, except for parking bays south of Grand and St. Clair avenues. Parking would also be removed on the west side of Cleveland between James and Randolph avenues.
City planners say the area can afford the parking reduction based on traffic counts, but many residents and business owners along the route vehemently disagree.
Project supporters say bike lanes increase safety and will enable cyclists to more easily frequent small businesses. The lanes also provide connections between University of St. Thomas, St. Catherine University and Highland Village.
Based on the amount of public feedback, the city council opted to delay a final vote on adding bike lanes along Cleveland Avenue between Summit Avenue and Randolph Avenue until a more intensive public outreach campaign can be conducted and staff can further study parking options, costs and alternate bike lanes routes.
The portion of the project planned between Randolph Avenue and Highland Parkway was allowed to proceed.
Staff is expected to report back with a recommendation by the end of the year.
It remains to be seen if that time-frame will work for the county.
Contractors are expected to wrap up construction on the 15 streets scheduled for resurfacing throughout the county this summer by Labor Day, Jaschke said.
The Cleveland project could get bundled in with next year’s workload instead though, giving the city more time to try and capitalize on the county’s work.
“I’m not sure yet what the consequences might be for changing the contract,” Jaschke said. “I (also) have to make sure the patches we did (along Cleveland Avenue) can make it through the winter… We still need to look at the consequences of deferring this another year before deciding.”
She said she’s hopeful the county will reach a decision next week.
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