Tim Spitzack
Editor
After years of discussions, complaints and ongoing advocacy regarding St. Paul’s skyway system, progress is finally inching forward to improve safety, security and aesthetics in at least one area of the elevated walkway that connects 40 square blocks of downtown buildings.
At the February 23 CapitolRiver Council Skyway Governance Advisory Committee meeting, city representatives shared information about a new pilot program that will address four under-maintained skyway bridges connecting the Press House Apartments and St. Paul Athletic Club on Cedar Street and the Capital City Plaza Parking Ramp on Fourth Street. The project includes replacing lights, deep cleaning of panels and floors, and adding one security camera to Bridge 39 leading into Press House Apartments. Work is set to begin in late spring or early summer and is supported by $850,000 in new funding approved by the St. Paul City Council last October. The funding is also being used to hire two private design firms to identify other problem areas within the skyway system, research better cleaning methods and find contractors who can do the work, and to improve signage and wayfinding. As of press time, the city was still reviewing proposals.
An additional $50,000 from the city has been earmarked to install two cameras and a one-way intercom in Bridge 29 over Cedar Street. The cameras will be placed at each end of the bridge and include an artificial intelligence component that triggers an alarm if someone lies down in the skyway or has a medical emergency. The intercom may be used to provide important messages or to contact security. Both will be monitored by the downtown safety communications center until 11 p.m. A contractor has been selected but no timeline was given for installation.
Perhaps the most exciting proposal on the horizon is the creation of an app-based navigation system that can be used on smartphones and tablets. If this materializes, the app could allow users to find maps of the skyway system, entrance points, hours, and possibly to contact security or register a complaint. At this stage, city staff have merely done preliminary research into what would be required to create such an app.
The skyway system is a public-private partnership and building owners are expected to keep their portion of the skyway clean and temperature-controlled, provide security through a live video camera or security personnel, and have their skyway doors open 6 a.m.-midnight. Some building owners have not been keeping up their end of the bargain, which has rankled compliant building owners and residents alike. To ensure that the entire system is properly maintained, the City Council passed an ordinance this past December that allows the city to clean any skyway not meeting the standards and bill the building owner for the work.
To report a problem or concern with a skyway, contact the St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections at 651-266-8989.
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