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It’s once again road construction season and here’s the list of planned work in West St. Paul.
West St. Paul Road Construction in 2026
This is a list of the major projects planned for West St. Paul this season. It is not an all-encompassing list, as smaller projects can pop up without planning (like burst water mains). We’re only focusing on projects with active construction this year, not future planned projects (like Delaware, coming in 2027).
Emerson Avenue
Full reconstruction from Delaware to Charlton, then mill and overlay from Charlton to Christensen.
- Where: The whole thing! From Delaware to Christensen, all of Emerson will get some kind of work.
- When: Tree work starts the week of April 6. The Charlton to Oakdale section should start mid-to-late April, while the Delaware to Charlton section is expected to start in May or June. All work should finish by October.
- Why: Have you driven on Emerson? The western end is especially rough.
- More info: See project details from West St. Paul and our past story on the project.
Oakdale Avenue North
St. Paul Regional Water Service has this section on their 2026 map to replace water lines.
- Where: Oakdale Avenue from Annapolis to Butler.
- When: No details yet.
- Why: Part of SPRWS’s 10-year plan to replace lead water service lines.
- More info: Additional info should become available from SPRWS.
Oakdale Avenue South
A mill and overlay project that will include sewer upgrades.
- Where: From Wentworth south to just short of Mendota Road.
- When: Sometime this year.
- Why: Part of Dakota County’s pavement management project.
- More info: Bare details are available in the joint powers agreement.
Carrie Street
As a part of the Emerson Avenue work, the northern end of Carrie Street will be turned into a cul-de-sac at Emerson Avenue.
- Where: Carrie Street and Emerson Avenue.
- When: The Emerson project is expected to run May to October, though no indication of when this section will happen, other than mid-to-late May at the earliest.
- Why: Ongoing complaints of drivers cutting through Carrie Street.
- More info: See project details from West St. Paul and our past story on the project.
Butler Avenue Trail
Most of this project was completed last year, though the final section of trail from Sperl/Stassen to 52 needs to be completed.
- Where: Butler Avenue from Robert Street to Highway 52.
- When: Work should start soon and is expected to be done in the spring.
- Why: Closing an identified trail gap and increasing safety.
- More info: See project details from Dakota County and our past story on the project.
Mina Alley
Full reconstruction of the alley.
- Where: The alley west of Smith and south Mina.
- When: No specific date yet, though it won’t happen before June and will take no more than 30 days to complete once it starts (per the construction contract).
- Why: A petition from neighbors met the required threshold for the city to redo the alley.
- More info: See project details from West St. Paul.
2026 Mill and Overlay
As part of the Emerson Avenue road work, a series of streets in this area will get a mill and overlay.
- Where: A series of streets near streets Emerson Avenue east of Oakdale, including Sperl, Logan, Stassen, Kopp, and Moreland Court.
- When: No specific date yet, though it will be completed before early July (per the construction contract).
- Why: Part of the city’s annual street projects.
- More info: See project details from West St. Paul.
Other
There can always be additional projects. Normally, the city will do a series of streets as in-house overlays, a bandage approach for streets in decent condition. Oil prices may limit the size of that work this year.
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