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Minnesota Notes

Started by Mdcastle, April 18, 2012, 07:54:36 PM

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MNHighwayMan

#875
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on December 04, 2019, 10:46:37 PM
Quote from: triplemultiplex on December 04, 2019, 02:05:33 PM
That whole MN 36 corridor should be a freeway out to the river, despite what those whiners in Oak Park Heights think.
Agreed, but I'll also settle for everything inside 694 being one before they finish the OPH mess.

I think I'd literally be shocked to death if such a project breaks ground in the next fifteen years.


DJ Particle

Quote from: MNHighwayMan on December 05, 2019, 09:14:40 AM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on December 04, 2019, 10:46:37 PM
Quote from: triplemultiplex on December 04, 2019, 02:05:33 PM
That whole MN 36 corridor should be a freeway out to the river, despite what those whiners in Oak Park Heights think.
Agreed, but I'll also settle for everything inside 694 being one before they finish the OPH mess.

I think I'll literally be shocked to death if such a project breaks ground in the next fifteen years.

I think there's only 2 intersections left to convert within the beltway...and one can simply be de-accessed.  The intersection near the Fleet Farm just got interchanged this past summer.

MNHighwayMan

Quote from: DJ Particle on December 05, 2019, 09:20:34 AM
I think there's only 2 intersections left to convert within the beltway...and one can simply be de-accessed.  The intersection near the Fleet Farm just got interchanged this past summer.

I didn't know that about the Hadley Ave intersection! Good to know.

But the MN-120/Century Ave intersection is not going anywhere for a while, most likely. I wouldn't be surprised if construction of an interchange was holding up any final MN-120 turnback agreement.

mgk920

Quote from: MNHighwayMan on December 05, 2019, 09:26:08 AM
Quote from: DJ Particle on December 05, 2019, 09:20:34 AM
I think there's only 2 intersections left to convert within the beltway...and one can simply be de-accessed.  The intersection near the Fleet Farm just got interchanged this past summer.

I didn't know that about the Hadley Ave intersection! Good to know.

But the MN-120/Century Ave intersection is not going anywhere for a while, most likely. I wouldn't be surprised if construction of an interchange was holding up any final MN-120 turnback agreement.

The latest Streetview images there (2019-June) show the bridge under construction.  Also, the street layout is shown as the 'labels' overlay to the Google aerial image.

Mike

DJ Particle

Quote from: mgk920 on December 05, 2019, 10:45:17 AM
The latest Streetview images there (2019-June) show the bridge under construction.  Also, the street layout is shown as the 'labels' overlay to the Google aerial image.

Mike

From what I could see from a vantage point at I-694, it looked like the bridge was finished and open, though there's still some construction going on.

n0ax

Was driving home on EB 494 today, and it looks like MnDOT has put up temporary concrete jersey barriers in the center median between 169 and E Bush Lake Rd. I'm guessing MnDOT put them up due to the sorry state of the high tension cable barrier after some icy days?

EpicRoadways

The dreaded TH-23/US-10 cloverleaf "interchange" (if you even want to call it that) reconstruction seems to have been pushed back to 2023, but with more substantial improvements than originally anticipated.

https://www.dot.state.mn.us/d3/stc/index.html

Very interesting that the proposal calls for a folded-diamond interchange as opposed to a DDI, six-ramp, or SPUI; I'm a little skeptical that the proposed interchange can even handle that much traffic. Also interesting is the plan to construct an overpass at 4th Avenue SE just to the south of the interchange, which I hadn't even realized was proposed. Disappointingly, the horrendous signal at Saint Germain Street remains just north of the interchange, which is arguably more dangerous than the interchange itself. At least the folded diamond design provides more space to decelerate before the intersection. Still hopeful that maybe MNDOT will figure something out to eliminate that signal before construction actually starts.

kphoger

Quote from: EpicRoadways on December 10, 2019, 08:44:09 PM
TH-23/US-10 cloverleaf "interchange" (if you even want to call it that)

Why shouldn't I?  It is an interchange.

Quote from: EpicRoadways on December 10, 2019, 08:44:09 PM
Disappointingly, the horrendous signal at Saint Germain Street remains just north of the interchange, which is arguably more dangerous than the interchange itself.

...which is apparently part of "Inset B".  Do you have a link to a detailed map of that, or are we left to our imagination?
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

EpicRoadways

Quote from: kphoger on December 10, 2019, 08:53:26 PM
...which is apparently part of "Inset B".  Do you have a link to a detailed map of that, or are we left to our imagination?
https://www.dot.state.mn.us/d3/stc/pdf/prelayout.pdf
-The intersection remains as-is with the exception of new pavement and a new signal system.

froggie

A few notes on that US 10/MN 23 interchange:

- What's planned is not all that different than what was conceptualized 15 years ago.
- The reason for a folded-diamond is two-fold.  First, traffic volumes have been fairly stagnant over the past 15 years (despite growth in the St. Cloud region as a whole) and MnDOT feels a folded-diamond will adequately serve traffic.  Second, and more importantly, a folded-diamond won't get in the way of any potential improvements that may happen at St. Germain in the future.
- Addressing the signal at St. Germain is not part of this project due to funding limitations and right-of-way & frontage road constraints.
- The reason for doing the MN 23 interchange and not doing something at St. Germain instead is because the MN 23 bridges over US 10 need replacement.
- Full disclosure:  I know the project manager and have traded correspondence with her on this project.

kphoger

Quote from: froggie on December 10, 2019, 10:17:58 PM
The reason for a folded-diamond is two-fold.

I see what you did there.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

froggie

Unintentional, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

TheHighwayMan3561

A project to convert US 8's western terminus into a loop rather than a flyover just wrapped. I've been trying to find out why they did that since the flyover seemed to work fine. It does give a little more space on I-35 between the US 8 and the Broadway interchanges, I guess.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

Rothman

Huh.  That is bizarre.  I'd have the same question.

Did someone really want to pay the property owner on 235th St some ROW money?
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

MNHighwayMan

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on December 12, 2019, 02:35:28 PM
A project to convert US 8's western terminus into a loop rather than a flyover just wrapped. I've been trying to find out why they did that since the flyover seemed to work fine. It does give a little more space on I-35 between the US 8 and the Broadway interchanges, I guess.

I thought it was in preparation of making it a full interchange (i.e. with access to US-8 from I-35 SB)?

Rothman

Quote from: MNHighwayMan on December 12, 2019, 07:17:19 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on December 12, 2019, 02:35:28 PM
A project to convert US 8's western terminus into a loop rather than a flyover just wrapped. I've been trying to find out why they did that since the flyover seemed to work fine. It does give a little more space on I-35 between the US 8 and the Broadway interchanges, I guess.

I thought it was in preparation of making it a full interchange (i.e. with access to US-8 from I-35 SB)?
Wow.  Finally.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

froggie

Even without the desire for a full interchange at US 8, the former flyover created a very serious weaving issue to the Broadway off-ramp, especially during morning rush.

And since the bridge needed replacement anyway, they figured a realignment to improve ramp spacing was in order.

TheHighwayMan3561

The state's second set of APL signs are going up at the 35E/W Forest Lake split. I got a pic of the one they had installed when I went through yesterday. What I find curious is there are two other similar junctions where they just replaced signs at US 52/MN 55 in Inver Grove as well as the Burnsville split, but used styles similar to the ones MnDOT has used for years (just with more emphasis on the EXIT ONLY parts) rather than APLs.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

Papa Emeritus

The Star Tribune has an article about several projects in the Twin Cities that have been funded by MNDoT. Here's a link:

http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-department-of-transportation-awards-18-million-in-grants-for-highway-projects/566572072/

Among the projects that will be built are:

An interchange on MN-36 at Manning Avenue

Grade Separation on MN-13 in Savage

An interchange on I-94 at Dayton Parkway in the northwest metro

DJ Particle

Quote from: Papa Emeritus on December 30, 2019, 08:43:10 PM
The Star Tribune has an article about several projects in the Twin Cities that have been funded by MNDoT. Here's a link:

http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-department-of-transportation-awards-18-million-in-grants-for-highway-projects/566572072/

Among the projects that will be built are:

An interchange on MN-36 at Manning Avenue

Grade Separation on MN-13 in Savage

An interchange on I-94 at Dayton Parkway in the northwest metro

I like the Savage one...the freewaying of MN-13 continues apace...  😄

froggie

I did a deeper dive into that Savage one.  While a grade separation, I'd stop short of calling it a freeway-grade interchange.  The proposed north/eastbound off-ramp is basically a right turn lane into a buttonhook.

Mdcastle

Nothing really shocking here. All projects that we knew about slowly lurching along.

TheHighwayMan3561

A fun light historical read about I-90 in southwest Minnesota (ignore the inaccurate points about the national route at the end of the article)

https://www.dglobe.com/community/history/4845063-Column-Life-is-a-highway-%E2%80%94-all-3020-miles-of-it
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

TheHighwayMan3561

A couple weeks ago I saw the new 60 MPH zone on MN 61, which starts at the Lafayette Tunnel (second tunnel) northbound rather than after Silver Bay. Despite saying the limit was likely going into effect last spring they didn't get to changing the signs until around Thanksgiving, which left me wondering if maybe they decided not to increase the limit after all.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

Papa Emeritus

Today's Star Tribune has an article about the deep divisions between Republicans and Democrats over transportation funding.

http://www.startribune.com/how-to-pay-for-roads-and-bridges-funding-battle-to-continue-at-state-capitol/567127032/

Both the Republicans and Democrats have some good ideas, but the two parties are so polarized that I don't see any legislation passing this year.

One thing which SHOULD be a no brainer would be to take the sales tax revenue from auto parts and car rentals out of the general fund, and dedicate it 100% to road and transit improvements, but doing so would require Democrats to raise taxes elsewhere or cut spending, so that idea is a non-starter.



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