'Everybody's in a hurry.' What could make S. Robert Street safer for pedestrians?

José Flores scanned the parade of cars zipping down this dense thoroughfare in West St. Paul.

He waited on a bench for the bus, bags stuffed with groceries beside him. The nearby Walmart is one reason Flores, who lives on St. Paul's East Side, frequents this retail-laden stretch of S. Robert Street. But his preferred shopping corridor, with two lanes in each direction and turn lanes at intersections, can be tricky to traverse.

"There's too much fast traffic," he said, explaining that drivers turning onto the main road sometimes cut off pedestrians making their way across.

Since February, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has been studying the corridor from Annapolis Street to Mendota Road to craft a plan to boost pedestrian and driver safety. The agency has solicited opinions from residents, many of whom want to reduce speeding and increase the corridor's walkability.

MnDOT public engagement coordinator Alyssa Kruzel said the agency is considering various approaches to improving safety — from slowing traffic to modifying signals to slashing the number of parking lot entrances.

It will be the latest makeover for West St. Paul's main thoroughfare. A multimillion-dollar revitalization push brought dozens of new businesses to a 2½-mile stretch of the corridor. Workers also installed center medians on parts of the road to reduce dangerous left turns.

But safety concerns remain, the MnDOT study states.

In May, a driver turned left onto the corridor from Wentworth Avenue on a flashing yellow arrow, ramming into a person crossing the road, a preliminary investigation found. The 36-year-old Brooklyn Park woman, who investigators said had the right of way, died days later.

And another impending project could draw even more people: A rapid transit bus line is coming to Rice Street and the Robert Street corridor.

Plans show about a dozen G Line stations studding the latter thoroughfare once construction wraps up in 2028 — increasing the need to make the area safe for pedestrians before foot traffic picks up.

'Everybody's in a hurry'

Robert Street has changed shape over the last century.

A busy streetcar line and bustling department stores distinguished the street in the early 1900s. By the early 2000s, suburban development had slashed foot and car traffic in the area; as activity dwindled, potholes scarred the road and many storefronts sat empty, the Pioneer Press reported.

Robert Street's decline prompted officials about a decade ago to embark on a costly project — estimates in 2015 hovered around $42 million — to remake the commercial strip. Since then, businesses have bloomed and apartments have cropped up.

But not everyone was happy. The makeover fitted portions of the corridor with sidewalks, traffic signals and medians. The dividers, meant to eliminate hazardous left-hand turns, worried some business owners who believed they would deter customers from visiting.

Today, MnDOT has turned its attention to safety. The S. Robert Street study is occurring alongside another project to repair roads and replace sidewalks on the corridor's upper portion, stretching from Kellogg Boulevard to Annapolis Street.

Thousands of drivers commute on portions of the road every day, including Ross Beckwith, West St. Paul's public works director and city engineer.

"I'm amazed at how many people speed," Beckwith said, later adding, "Everybody's in a hurry."

MnDOT, not West St. Paul, has jurisdiction over S. Robert Street because it's a state highway, he said. But city officials still want to improve the road. Among Beckwith's concerns: Long crosswalks expose pedestrians to multiple lanes of fast traffic, and portions of the street lack a safe place to cross.

Those issues were on display at the busy thoroughfare during a recent afternoon. Cars heading toward Flores' bus stop descended a steep hill, gaining speed where Lothenbach Avenue crosses S. Robert Street.

Some pedestrians waited for minutes before a walk sign beckoned them to cross. Others jaywalked, scurrying across two lanes to a narrow median, then waiting for a break in the traffic to proceed. A few walkers and one man on an e-bike traversed sidewalks several yards wide.

From 2018 to 2022, there were nine nonfatal crashes involving vehicles and cyclists on the portion of S. Robert Street officials are evaluating, according to MnDOT data. The number of nondeadly pedestrian crashes was even higher during that time frame, at 26.

Seeking solutions

West St. Paul Mayor Dave Napier has spent a lot of time thinking about Robert Street.

A raft of construction projects occurred under his watch. Now, as MnDOT turns its attention to safety, he mulls another question: How can officials make the area comfortable for pedestrians without denting the traffic that sustains its restaurants and shops?

"We definitely lean on engineers," Napier said, adding he trusts MnDOT will identify appropriate solutions, especially with the G Line on the way.

The mayor said he hasn't heard concerns about pedestrian safety along the length of S. Robert Street the agency is studying. When asked about observations from residents like Flores that cars often cut off pedestrians at crosswalks, Napier said stationing police officers at busy intersections might reduce dangerous turns.

"That probably comes down to law enforcement and having a presence out there," he said. "People are always looking to take the quickest route."

To be sure, not everyone has a problem with the corridor.

Arturo Lino, who works at Hamburguesas El Gordo, said he feels safe negotiating the crosswalk that connects the restaurant to Wells Fargo.

Employees elsewhere feel differently about the corridor's navigability. Mikayla Nicholas lives close to Planet Fitness, where she works, but takes an Uber to and from the gym.

She said she doesn't spend much time walking around S. Robert Street, though she has come across online posts in West St. Paul neighborhood groups about "really scary" collisions at crosswalks. Kruzel, of MnDOT, said officials will gather more input from residents during a Nov. 19 meeting at Wentworth Library.

Nicholas added she would traverse the corridor more often on foot if it featured "plenty of crosswalks … and lots of signs letting people know you got to stop and wait for people to walk."

Until then, she will stick to Uber.