Capital City Bikeway and Jackson Street Reconstruction
Saint Paul, MN
Project Summary
More than a decade ago, Toole Design helped the City of Saint Paul create the blueprint for what became the Capital City Bikeway: a world-class downtown network designed to encourage bicycling, support economic development, and connect people to key destinations and the regional trail system. Born out of the Saint Paul Bicycle Plan, the Capital City Bikeway Network Study and Design Guide identified the best downtown routes, established initial design concepts, and created a long-term implementation framework the City could carry forward over time.
DESIGN
The vision plan reflects a combination of technical rigor and public buy-in. The guide was shaped through advisory committees, workshops, pop-up events, and community input, and it established a cohesive design language for the network — including bikeway design, branding, wayfinding, landscaping, street furnishings, and public art. It also identified the major corridors that would anchor the system, including Jackson Street, 9th/10th Streets, St. Peter Street, and Kellogg Boulevard.
Implementation
Toole Design helped turn that vision into reality by leading the design and engineering of Jackson Street, the first built segment of the Capital City Bikeway. This $12.4 million reconstruction transformed the corridor from building face to building face on an accelerated schedule, moving from master plan to construction administration in just nine months. Our staff were involved in every detail of this corridor, including streetscape design, plantings, drainage and stormwater management, and traffic engineering and operations.
The completed mile-long corridor includes a sidewalk-level protected bikeway, separated pedestrian space, protected intersections, bike signals, ADA-accessible ramps, ADA-compliant building entrances, and lush landscaping that creates a safer, greener, and more inviting downtown street. Toole Design also helped advance future segments through the Capital City Interim Design Study, recommending interim bikeway designs for Wabasha Street and 9th/10th Streets so the City could continue implementation through resurfacing projects. Our team went on to complete the final design for 9th/10th Streets.
Looking to the future
The Capital City Bikeway remains a powerful example of how a strong vision plan can stand the test of time. The guide established a defensible, memorable framework that has continued to shape implementation in downtown Saint Paul, while Jackson Street proved that the vision could be built at a high level of quality. The corridor set a new standard in Saint Paul for green streets, placemaking, stormwater management, public art, and wayfinding, and the project earned an ASLA Potomac Chapter Honor Award in 2019 and was later featured in national ASLA Climate Action Plan case studies.
The new streets, bike lanes, and other public investments are a vast improvement and collectively make the area much more attractive and functional.Local Developer