Saint Paul Skyways

DtStP Skyways

Bridges

A comprehensive guide to the climate controlled city owned bridges that make the skyway the skyway. 

Buildings

Essentially the same information presented in the bridges section, only sorted by building.

Access
FUTURE SECTION

Why is this door locked? Where ARE the doors? How do I get in? How do I get OUT? Skyway access is one of the more perplexing aspects of the DtStP Skyway.

Wayfinding
FUTURE SECTION

Getting from A to B can be quite an undertaking. There are maps and signs in every building but how helpful are they and what does improving them mean?

Skyway Overview

The Saint Paul Skyway System is the result of a series of public and private agreements between the late 1970s and early 2000s. The bridges were, mostly, financed and are owned by the city, while bridge maintenance costs are, mostly, contracted to the adjacent building owners. Also included in the agreements, mostly, are easements through the buildings requiring them to allow public travel through a specific area of the building during agreed upon skyway hours. These agreements, mostly, leave access between the street and the skyway level up to the building owner. The resulting “gray areas” make code enforcement as well as skyway way-finding difficult. Some people observe that the skyways split the pedestrians downtown, stifling business potential on both levels.

The sentiment of building owners, after 40 years, seems to be that many would rather the skyways be private and thus limit the access from the street. I’ve lived downtown two different times, the first 2 1/2 year stretch I went into the skyways maybe twice ever, the second I’ve taken the time to become about as familiar with the system as anyone, and that was before I started looking at the easement agreements.

DtStP Effort

The Skyways can be a confusing experience to navigate, let alone discuss the regulations and access points of. This project is intended to create an easy reference guide to help facilitate discussions of the Skyway system, from variance requests to wild ideas. Just maybe it will end up being helpful for navigation as well. City of Saint Paul Skyways Page

The idea for the project came from attending several meetings of the CapitolRiver Council‘s Skyway Governance Advisory Committee. 

Bridges

A comprehensive guide to the climate controlled city owned bridges that make the skyway the skyway. 

Buildings

Essentially the same information presented in the bridges section, only sorted by building.

Immediate Action Items:

Bridges/Building:

  • Determine what additional content is most valuable
  • Fill in missing photos
  • Research hours exception records, maintenance, and violation reporting
  • Compile information in a spreadsheet/database

Access:

  • Compile information in spreadsheet/database by building
  • Create a template page for access points
  • Create criteria for access door classification system

Long-Term Action Items:

Obtain hi-res skway level building maps and integrate with bridges and access maps, creating a SUPERmap. Add a comprehensive buildings section to the mix, including all spaces vacant and occupied. Integrate database with comprehensive DtStP database.

Potential Related Projects?

DtStP Database