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St. Anthony Park Community Council (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
└ Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Territorial Road in St. Paul is a busy arterial, with dozens of heavy trucks passing through every hour. High vehicle speeds pose a hazard for residents, many of whom are older adults and people with disabilities. This project set out to improve safety and beautify two intersections near the local light rail station. To do this, the St. Anthony Community Council installed artistic benches with planters, as well as a wall mural depicting an owl. Additionally, a local artist painted a Dakota-inspired design on a crosswalk, making it more visible to passing drivers.
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See More Projects Like This One
Helena, MT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: This pop-up demonstration set out to gather input from residents about ways to increase mobility in Helena. Organizers planned to create a demonstration kit, comprised of a trailer equipped with supplies to stage pop-up projects. They then set out to create temporary protected bike lanes and make improvements to crosswalks along the Centennial Trial -- all with the goal of making the community more walkable and bikeable.
Charleston, SC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: The West Ashley Greenway in Charleston is an eight-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail, which is popular with walkers, runners and cyclists. However, the greenway crosses several busy streets, leading to accidents between vehicles and pedestrians. To fix this, a team of volunteers created three artistic crosswalk murals, designed to calm traffic. They also installed signage which reminds drivers to look out for people crossing the roadway. Community members need to be able to get access to places without driving, and to feel safe when they're walking and biking, project director Katie Zimmerman said. Doing this even in small ways will get more people active and out of their cars.
Anchorage, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Organizers with Bike Anchorage wanted to give neighbors a glimpse at what their streets could look like with tweaks to make them safer and more pedestrian-friendly. They equipped a trailer with cones, spray chalk, signage and other traffic calming supplies, ready to deploy to locations ripe for pop-up demonstrations. In one such demonstration at a busy intersection near the public library, volunteers installed a temporary roundabout which successfully calmed vehicle traffic. They also created a temporary protected bike lane downtown. The project has already inspired more permanent improvements -- officials have earmarked funds for a future roundabout at the site near the library.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
St. Paul, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Reconnect Communities
Description: This project will create a virtual reality production depicting life in the Rondo neighborhood before, during and after a 1960s Interstate highway project split the community in two. Organizers will ask older residents to contribute their stories.
St. Paul, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: The city government in St. Paul hoped to enhance walkability through safety improvements at two unmarked pedestrian crossings along Marion Street. To accomplish that, the city created two long-term temporary crosswalks at Ravoux and Fuller Streets. The work included adding pedestrian crosswalk signs, painting high-visibility block-pattern crosswalk markings and installing pedestrian refuge islands and bump-outs. The city also restricted parking near the intersections and installed a temporary radar speed sign along the corridor. The project enabled local government agencies and civic organizations to gather data needed to support permanent crosswalks upgrades in the area. Using the results, the city began its re-envisioning Marion Street as a pedestrian-friendly, multi-modal corridor in 2021.
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