RNC Auto and Bike Restrictions Announced by City of St. Paul

On Monday, the city of St. Paul released more details on the downtown traffic restrictions plan for the RNC.

A section of downtown enclosed by Chestnut Street and Shepard Road on the south, St. Peter Street on the east, 10th Street on the north and I-35E on the west will be closed to all non-credentialed automobile and bicycle traffic. Of the streets listed, Chestnut will be open in a southbound direction (down to the river) only. Shepard Road will be open; St. Peter will be open, but "parking, stopping or standing" will be prohibited. 10th Street will be open, but parking will be prohibited, and I-35E will be open.

According to the city, this zone will take effect after rush hour on Friday, August 29 and end before Saturday, September 6.

The city says that pedestrian traffic (NOT including bicycles) will be allowed within the perimeter, up to a point nearer to the Xcel.

The perimeter includes St. Joseph's hospital, the Dorothy Day center and Listening House, Rice Park, the St. Paul Hotel, the MN History Center, the Saint Paul Central Library, the Science Museum, and much of the permitted march route issued by the Saint Paul police.

Metro Transit, which is providing hundreds of busses for delegate transportation, has said that city busses will run on regular schedules, with detours around the affected area. Busses will run on regular reduced holiday schedules on September 1 for Labor Day.

More information on the traffic plan will be posted as it becomes available.

OPEN ROUTES TO AND FROM DOWNTOWN

The closed area will complicate travel to and from downtown, especially from south of the Missisippi River (the area known as West St. Paul). To access the central and eastern parts of downtown, the Wabasha and Robert Street bridges will provide the clearest accessible route from the south.

Those coming from south of the river across the Smith Avenue High Bridge will have two main options:
--either taking West 7th/Fort Road to Chestnut Street Southbound, continuing to Shepard Road along the river, and then traveling back into downtown at Jackson or Sibley Street
--alternatively, turning west onto Grand Ave from Smith Ave and going up the (very big!) hill to Summit Ave, then following Summit to John Ireland Boulevard towards the Capitol.

Coming from Minneapolis, people traveling by car or bike will likely want to enter downtown from the State Capitol area, because of the closure of Kellogg Boulevard. The two major routes from Minneapolis, not including I-94, are John Ireland Boulevard (via Selby or Summit), or University Avenue.

See the map below for possible alternate routes from Minneapolis and St. Paul into and out of downtown.