The city of St. Paul removed the temporary median strip on Grand Avenue last week. The median was a part of an ongoing joint project between the city and Macalester aimed at improving pedestrian-auto interaction on the block of Grand bordered by Snelling and Macalester Avenues.

The median provided a stopping point for pedestrians crossing the Macalester block of Grand Avenue.

The proposed next phase of the project includes a permanent, raised median. Construction on the permanent median would begin next spring.

Macalester High Winds Fund Director Tom Welna, who manages the college’s relationship with the St. Paul community, said that the city of St. Paul removed the temporary median because the median was made of asphalt and would have been destroyed by winter snowplows.

The removal of the median has causedome students to feel less safe crossing Grand. “I’ve noticed a big difference,” Andrew Yeoman ’04 said. “Students are more hesitant to cross, and drivers brake a lot less now.”

“It’s so irritating,” Arden Ashley ’06 said. “They gave us this median, which gave us a nice sense of security and now drivers get so irritated. I also have to wait for cars to stop in both directions before crossing.”

Physical Plant Director Mark Dickinson said the proposed new median is a concrete island paved with brick. There will also be historic-styled light fixtures at the pedestrian crossing areas and median landscaping, such as low bushes that will not obstruct the view of drivers. The project, assuming it is approved by the city, will cost Macalester an estimated $125,000.

Dickinson said the purpose of the project is to improve pedestrian safety on Grand Avenue. “By having a raised median, it’s a physical barrier against traffic,” he said. “Pedestrians are raised up and more visible, and they can potentially stop halfway while crossing. It’s more safe.”

The temporary median was installed last April. Phase One began the same day with the construction of a fence along the street. The fence was meant to direct pedestrian traffic to a single crossing in the middle of the block. The fence was removed 11 days later because vandals took it down at least five times, according to Welna.

“The fences were put up to test how cars would back up with an official mid-block crossing,” Dickinson said. He added that it was clear from the vandalism that students did not like the fence and single crossing.

During Phase Two, the fences were removed and two crossings between Snelling Avenue and Macalester Street were supplemented with raised platforms in the median. “We found that it really does work better to have two crossings,” Dickinson said.

In May, Macalester College Student Government (MCSG) conducted a survey of student opinions on the different phases of the project. Of the 104 students that responded, 34 percent said they felt safer during the single-crossing phase and 75 percent said they felt safer with the median. Ninety-one percent of the total respondents felt the median was an effective tool to improve pedestrians’ safety.

High Winds contracted Wilder Research Center to poll area residents about the median. Wilder concluded that they generally supported the median. They also favored the multiple-crossing arrangement over single crossing and saw very few negative aspects of having a raised island. A small number of respondents changed their travel route after the median was installed.

“We saw that people were in favor of having an island about three-to-one in our survey,” Welna said. “This neighborhood is attuned to traffic issues and generally supportive of anything that slows traffic.”

The results of the surveys helped influence the design of the new median and move plans forward for its construction. “We have support from the city and City Councilperson Pat Harris,” Dickinson said. “For the most part, the city has been open to this, so we hope to get its approval. It stands a really good chance of getting done this summer.”

Future possibilities for improving pedestrian safety on this block include curb extensions at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Macalester Street and a pull-off loop between Turck Hall and Winton Health Services, according to Dickinson.