Robert St. cost nearly doubles

Working to nail down the design and funding for the big Robert Street reconstruction, West St. Paul got some jaw-dropping news this month: The project will cost nearly twice as much as expected, with the estimate revised from $10.4 million to $19.4 million.

The additional $9 million reflects several extras not originally anticipated: 6-inch pavement instead of 2-inch, new traffic signals instead of modified old ones, a new underground water main and a new underground storm sewer.

The biggest extra, a proposed bike-pedestrian trail bridge over Robert Street near Wentworth Avenue, would cost $3.4 million, a high pricetag that officials say may cause them to drop it from the project.

Because the city has received a federal grant of $7.3 million that had been expected to pay the lion's share of the work, the higher cost came as a jolt. Mayor John Zanmiller told City Council members not to panic because other government entities will help close the gap and the city will not be on the hook for the entire difference.

St. Paul Regional Water Services has agreed to pay $1.4 million for the water main. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) will put in $1.3 million. And Dakota County has agreed to contribute $650,000.

But the trail bridge does not have financing. City and county officials have been trying over the last year and a half to find a federal or state grant to pay for the bridge without success.

The trail that crosses Robert is the North Urban Regional Trail. It will extend about 7 miles from Lilydale Yacht Club on the Mississippi River at the east end to South St. Paul's Kaposia Landing, also on the river, on the west end. The last segment through West St. Paul will be finished by 2014.

Dakota County had planned on a street level crossing for about 32,000 trail users a year, but it agreed to consider a bridge. Such a high price was not anticipated, however, said Kurt Chatfield, county planning supervisor.

"The county, in general, is looking to separate regional trails from major roadways when possible with either an underpass or an overpass," Chatfield said. For bridges or tunnels, "we typically see costs of $200,000 to maybe $1 million, so we know that number is very high.

"The Dakota County Board of Commissioners has not been asked to take an official position on the Robert Street crossing, but the very high cost of the crossing would certainly be a major consideration in their discussion," Chatfield said.

Reconstruction of the 2.5 miles of Robert is expected to start in 2014. The bridge could be built later if funds become available, city officials said.

Robert Street is West St. Paul's main street. It functions as both a commuter route and a commercial strip running through town from just north of Interstate 494 to St. Paul.

The street has two big problems: an astounding number of driveways -- 140 in 2.5 miles -- and a single left-turn lane that runs down the center of the street.

The 100-plus opportunities to enter and leave the street can slow traffic and cause crashes. The center turn lane allows drivers to dart across two lanes of traffic to get to the many driveways and the businesses they serve. The result is a chaotic traffic scene and poor traffic flow.

The city's design calls for elimination of some driveways and the construction of a center median that would limit left turns to intersections. The City Council is expected to approve the center median design Monday and send it to MnDOT.

Robert is designated as a state highway, and MnDOT has endorsed the center median design. But the median remains unpopular with a few business people north of Butler Avenue, because they think they would lose customers if traffic heading south on Robert from St. Paul could no longer make a left turn directly into their establishments.

No count has been presented on how often drivers make those turns now.

Frustrated with the opposition on just that six blocks of the 2.5-mile project, council members asked Public Works Director Matt Saam to find out how much grant money the city would lose if it does not proceed with the segment between Butler Avenue and Annapolis Street.

Council Member Jim Englin said there are just five or six businesses objecting to the plan. "I am so sick of this group. If it doesn't affect the grant, they can just live with it" and keep the road the way it is, Englin said.

Zanmiller said he would not want the north end of Robert dropped from the project, however. "We are trying to give the north end a shot in the arm. That's my neighborhood, and I don't want it to look crappy."

Laurie Blake • 952-746-3287