St. Paul's new concept for West Seventh corridor won't move forward

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A concept for a new West Seventh corridor in St. Paul that was proposed earlier this year may already be dead in the water.

New West Seventh corridor

The backstory:

In early 2025, city leaders announced plans for a reconstruction of West Seventh Street that officials said would aim to improve safety, traffic, access to mass transit, and green space – while protecting nearby historical and cultural sites.

Between planning, designing, and construction, officials hoped to have the project completed over the next eight years with a projected cost of $450 to $550 million.

Concept won't move forward

What they're saying:

In a statement posted on Monday, the City of St. Paul announced the concept wouldn't move forward, at least as a single project.

"While partners continue to work together on ways to improve West Seventh Street for all users, a coordinated corridor concept is no longer moving forward. Project partners were unable to reach agreement on a funding plan for this coordinated concept," a message on the project website reads.

Dig deeper:

The city still plans to move forward with street resurfacing while an improved bus rapid transit line is still potentially on the table with Metro Transit.

The city says the city, county, and state "remain committed to improving the condition of West Seventh Street and enhancing transit service and multimodal connections in the corridor."

What's next:

Resurfacing work along West Seventh will take place over two years, starting between Munster Avenue and St. Clair Avenue in 2028, then moving north to between St. Clair and Olive Street in 2029.