Minnesota Notes

[froggie]

-Completing the I-494/West Bush Lake Road interchange in Bloomington by adding a ramp to westbound 494. A ramp wasn't built either initially or during the 2006 I-494 widen/rebuild due to the proximity of a railroad and the MN 100 interchange.

This had nothing to do with the Hwy 100 interchange and everything to do with the railroad.  MnDOT's initial plan was to construct a standard on-ramp which would have crossed the railroad at-grade.  FHWA and FRA disagreed with that...this disagreement is why a ramp wasn't built during past 494 upgrades (namely the 2003-05 widening which saw the eastbound off-ramp loop built).

The larger reason is MnDOT and these two cities also clash in visions for these more urban roadways.

This is not really the larger reason.  MnDOT has been turning back lesser routes for decades now because A) they want to save money for the more important roadways and B) because they feel the lighter used routes are more appropriately placed at the city and county level.  Has there been some friction?  Sure, but that friction is not the primary reason as you suggest.

An example is during the recent discussion with Bottineau LRT, Minneapolis wanted to turn Olson Mem (MN 55) into a one lane roadway each direction with turn lanes and sell the excess land off for development.

Correct on selling excess land for development.  INcorrect on roadway width.  Minneapolis is okay with 2 lanes each direction, but MnDOT wants to keep it at its existing 3 lanes.  Traffic volumes suggest that 2 lanes would still be fine.

[peterj920]

I understand why US 52 is hidden, it doesn't split from I-94 until Jamestown, ND and the concurrency is hundreds of miles.  I don't think adding a US 12 sign would add much sign clutter, and US 12 is a very important route west of I-394.  I think it should be signed along I-394 because of the continuation west of I-694.  Why is US 10 fully signed along interstates in the metro while US 12 isn't?

[noelbotevera]

I understand why US 52 is hidden, it doesn't split from I-94 until Jamestown, ND and the concurrency is hundreds of miles.  I don't think adding a US 12 sign would add much sign clutter, and US 12 is a very important route west of I-394.  I think it should be signed along I-394 because of the continuation west of I-694.  Why is US 10 fully signed along interstates in the metro while US 12 isn't?

Although I've never been to the Twin Cities, I believe that signs sign US 12 up until you leave St. Paul.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I understand why US 52 is hidden, it doesn't split from I-94 until Jamestown, ND and the concurrency is hundreds of miles.  I don't think adding a US 12 sign would add much sign clutter, and US 12 is a very important route west of I-394.  I think it should be signed along I-394 because of the continuation west of I-694.  Why is US 10 fully signed along interstates in the metro while US 12 isn't?

Although I've never been to the Twin Cities, I believe that signs sign US 12 up until you leave St. Paul.

They don't. There are no signs for US 12 east of the I-394 interchange except for the "12 FOLLOW 94" heading westbound after the state line. However there is one "stray" I-394/US 12 reassurance BGS heading west on I-394 as you approach the MN 100 interchange.

[invincor]

I understand why US 52 is hidden, it doesn't split from I-94 until Jamestown, ND and the concurrency is hundreds of miles.  I don't think adding a US 12 sign would add much sign clutter, and US 12 is a very important route west of I-394.  I think it should be signed along I-394 because of the continuation west of I-694.  Why is US 10 fully signed along interstates in the metro while US 12 isn't?

It's probably because it keeps switching what routes it's concurrent with as it goes, zig-zagging along the way, whereas US12 heads due east-west along just I-394 and I-94. 

Going eastbound, US10 is solo until you get to I-35W, which it joins with for about a mile heading south, then splits off solo again for about 2-3 miles, then joins onto I-694 heading east for 4-5 miles, then switches to join I-35E heading south for about 4 miles, then switches to join I-94 heading east for 2-3 miles, before finally being paired with US61 and heading southeast with it out of the metro.  61 and 10 are cosigned all the way to their split just before Hastings where US10 turns east solo to head into Prescott, Wisconsin. 

[TheHighwayMan3561]

MNDot's never seemed to have a problem with signing short duplexes such as the 10 example, US 59 in Fergus Falls with I-94, 14/61 on I-90 near La Crescent, etc. It's the lengthy duplexes such as US 12 and US 52 that have resulted in hidden concurrencies or truncations of US routes.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I took a day trip down to Red Wing. On the way back I followed MN 50 from Miesville to Farmington, which I noticed the mileposts reflect the route's old terminus at I-35 and not the truncated western terminus at MN 3. This is similar to MN 16, which retained US 16's mileposts, and MN 101's mileposts which even during the massive upgrades to the northernmost section still reflect the route's former extent south of I-94. Why were these never updated? Is it just a matter of familiarity, or is it seen as inconsequential? Probably both of those.

[froggie]

MnDOT's station-making is based on the mileposts, so it's easier and a HELL OF A LOT LESS paperwork to just leave the mileposts as-is.  You'll also notice that MN 5 east of downtown St Paul has mileposts in the 180s....that's a legacy of when it used to be MN 212.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

An update on the MN 610 extension: work on demolishing the 101st Avenue bridge over I-94 in Maple Grove started in the last couple days.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I headed down to Maple Grove to check things out this morning. The new 105th Ave bridge isn't open yet; I was under the impression they weren't going to close the 101st Ave bridge until the 105th bridge was open.

[Mdcastle]

The proposed new river crossing west Anoka: it seems now if it ever happens the plan is to tie into a future Brockton Lane interchane on I-94. Was it ever discussed as a reroute of US 169 or was that just roadgeek fantasy (and looks impossible now due to development).

[froggie]

50-ish years ago, there was a proposal for a river crossing west of Anoka that would have been a Champlin/Anoka bypass for 169, but that would not have tied into a Brockton Ln interchange.  The current proposal, which does have a tie-in to I-94, wasn't intended as a 169 reroute.

[Mdcastle]

Here's my photoshop of a future Twin Cities Highway map
metro6 by North Star Highways, on Flickr

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I know it was listed in the realignment study, but would Anoka County be so willing to hand County 14 back to the state after all the money they've put into upgrading it following the original turnback of 242?

[froggie]

Now that it's mostly 4 lanes, possibly.  The main reason they accepted the turnback to begin with is because they could get it widened much faster using county, CSAH, and turnback funds than they could waiting for MnDOT to do it.  If they give it back to MnDOT now, they still have a 4-lane highway but would be absolved of the maintenance costs and responsibility.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

The MN 1/169 relocation project near Ely is getting underway this week as crews will begin clearing trees for the new alignment of road. The project had been delayed a few years due to environmental concerns raised about the original alternative, necessitating the state to develop another alternative.

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/d1/projects/Hwy169eagles/index.html

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Resurfacing project on MN 11 near Baudette added for this year. It's only 8 miles, but the nature of the project will make it a headache for MNDot to complete and they say it will take most of the summer.

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/d2/projects/hwy11-baudette/index.html?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=

[JREwing78]

Resurfacing project on MN 11 near Baudette added for this year. It's only 8 miles, but the nature of the project will make it a headache for MNDot to complete and they say it will take most of the summer.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1531455e27c5f3db

We can't view links to your own Gmail inbox. Sorry.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Resurfacing project on MN 11 near Baudette added for this year. It's only 8 miles, but the nature of the project will make it a headache for MNDot to complete and they say it will take most of the summer.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1531455e27c5f3db

We can't view links to your own Gmail inbox. Sorry.

That'd be a problem, wouldn't it? (Linking to my own e-mail was unintentional, by the way)

It's fixed.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Minnesota's favorite rite of spring about to get underway with several major metro projects kicking off soon, including a rebuild/widen of I-694 in the north metro, I-94 resurfacing on the east side of St. Paul, and a transit-friendly project on I-35W south of downtown Minneapolis.

The I-694 project will be using an express-local system to expedite traffic through the area. Left-lane traffic through the work zone will not have access to any exits between I-35E and I-35W.

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/enhance694/

But my concern is that the road is only being expanded between Lexington and 35E (which makes sense I suppose given they just rebuilt the former mess at US 10/MN 51), when I feel a big part of the problem to begin with is the eastbound lane drop at I-35W. Are they ever planning on filling the 10/51 section in to five or six lanes, particularly the eastbound direction?

[froggie]

5 or 6 lanes there would be overkill.  There is a large and noticeable traffic drop eastbound at 35W (likewise westbound at 10), which is in part why MnDOT feels it's acceptable to keep that short leg between 35W and 10 at 2 lanes each direction.

[Mdcastle]

Anyone know the history of Constitutional Route 12 west of the Twin Cities. I assume it originally followed the Yellowstone Trail route along Excelsior, than cutting over to what is now MN 5. Later maps seem to conflict on whether it was moved to go through Chaska along 41- one map shows it moved, but a later map (late enough to show US highway markers) shows it was not.

[froggie]

Some notes that may help:

- Today's MN 7 was not built between Excelsior and MN 100 until the mid-30s.  MnDOT project logs show the "route" was added in 1921, and both the project log map and county road maps from the early '30s show that C.R. 12 did indeed follow Excelsior Blvd west out of Minneapolis.  This would have also included Main St through Hopkins proper.

- The original 1920 constitutional amendment map doesn't have the greatest of resolution, but suggests that originally, C.R. 12 followed Shady Oak Rd south from Hopkins, then followed today's Flying Cloud Dr corridor to Chaska.  It certainly shows C.R. 12 going through what is now Eden Prairie.

- The 1926 state highway map and all subsequent maps I have show C.R. 12 along today's MN 41 corridor between Chaska and Excelsior.  So based on this, C.R. 12 was moved onto MN 41 sometime between 1920 and 1926.

- As best as I can tell, C.R. 12 never followed any part of what is now MN 5 (east of NYA, at least).

[froggie]

Someone tweeted a photo of yesterday's demolition of the old MN 7 bridge over MN 100, taken from the air:

https://twitter.com/TheNewLou/status/721462450286043136

[froggie]

MnDOT announced their 2016 construction kickoff last week.  Between that and it's been over 2 years since I last offered a interchange/major roundabout write-up, I figured it's time for another update.  I'm splitting this up into multiple posts, starting with projects completed since 2014 (includes known roundabouts):

US 2/MN 89 junction west of Bemidji - The former T-junction was converted into a partial interchange.  There is a loop ramp from SB 89 to EB 2.  An at-grade left turn remains for EB 2 to NB 89, crossing WB 2.
US 2 between Cass Lake and Deer River - A reconstruction project included 3 sets of passing lanes.
MN 7/Louisiana Ave in St. Louis Park - Diamond interchange with roundabouts.
US 10/US 59 in Detroit Lakes - Substantial completion of a project that rebuilt parts of US 10 and US 59, added a frontage road south of 10/west of 59, and added an underpass under US 59 with a connection between the frontage road and downtown Detroit Lakes.
US 10/Benton CSAH 2 in Rice - Modified diamond interchange.
US 10/US 169/Anoka CSAH 83 in Ramsey - I don't remember how the county got funding, but they found it and the interchange is now open, though clean-up work continues into this spring.  A partial-folded diamond (EB on-ramp loop) was built, with a bridge over the BNSF rail tracks for CSAH 83.
US 12 in Wayzata - Auxiliary lane construction on eastbound US 12 from CSAH 15/101 to the off-ramp to Gleason Rd and I-494.
MN 13/Dakota CSAH 5 in Burnsville - Partial folded-diamond interchange (EB on-ramp loop).
US 14 near Owatonna - 4-lane widening from US 218 to just east of Steele CSAH 43 was completed last fall.  This is the first leg in bridging the remaining 4-lane gap between Owatonna and Dodge Center.  Of note:  an interchange was originally proposed at CSAH 43 and is still on the books, but an at-grade intersection was built instead due to lack of funding.
US 14/MN 42 near Eyota - Roundabout construction.
MN 15/33rd St in St. Cloud - Diamond interchange with roundabouts.
MN 22 at both Blue Earth CSAH 17/Madison Ave and Adams St in Mankato - Roundabouts were added at both intersections.
MN 25 in Monticello - Widened to 4 lanes south to 85th St NE/Wright CR 106.
MN 34 between Detroit Lakes and Akeley - 9 passing lanes (5 eastbound, 4 westbound) built.
I-35 in Owatonna - A reconstruction project that also added auxiliary lanes between Bridge St and Hoffman Dr (old US 14 West, now CSAH 2).
I-35W in northeast Minneapolis - A sequence of projects that added a northbound on-ramp from 4th St, added a northbound auxiliary lane from the Mississippi River bridge to Johnson St, and consolidating the Johnson St and Stinson Blvd/New Brighton Blvd exits into a single exit.  This last part removed old grading done on the northbound side that had originally been intended for the cancelled I-335.
I-35W at Ramsey CSAH 96 - The interchange was reconstructed as a diverging diamond (DDI).
MN 36/Hilton Trl in Pine Springs - Diamond interchange with roundabouts.
US 52/Goodhue CSAH 9 south of Cannon Falls - Folded-diamond interchange with on-ramp loops and VERY TIGHT ramp curves.
US 52/Goodhue CSAH 24 in Cannon Falls - Diamond interchange with rundabouts.
US 52/Dakota CSAH 66 north of Hampton - Reduced-conflict intersection.
US 52 Lafayette Bridge - Replaced the Lafayette Bridge over the Mississippi River with a 6-lane bridge plus bike/ped path and relocated the northbound ramps to I-94.
US 59 at Willow St in Detroit Lakes - Roundabout construction.
MN 60 between Mountain Lake and St. James - 4-lane widening.
I-94 between MN 241/St. Michael and MN 101/Rogers - 6-lane widening is completed.  Of note:  the eastbound lane is an auxiliary lane that ends at the MN 101 exit ramp (so that MN 101 to I-94 traffic can get its own lane).
MN 101/Hennepin CSAH 144 in Rogers - Diverging diamond interchange.
Former MN 101/Carver CSAH 101 between the Minnesota River and CSAH 61 - Constructed a 4-lane bridge over floodplain to minimize river flooding shutdowns and replaced the former wye-junction at CSAH 61 with a roundabout.  As part of this project, the short bit of MN 101 south of the Wye to the Carver/Scott County line was turned back to the county.
US 169/Scott CSAH 69 in Shakopee - Partial folded-diamond interchange (NB off-ramp loop).
I-394/Ridgedale Dr in Minnetonka - Adding a WB on-ramp to complete a full interchange.