Regional Boards > Great Lakes and Ohio Valley

Minnesota Notes

<< < (3/334) > >>

Mdcastle:
Yes, I looked at some of the minutes of the Mn/DOT signal comittee and galvanized steel is the new standard. (For some reason I thought galvanized steel couldn't be left exposed.) Mn/DOTs position is a galvanized finish is a suitable finish, and if local agencies want it painted now they have to pay 100% of that cost. Like all kinds of other exposed metal, say cars, traffic signals rust badly up here after a few years. I found out something else neat, in Eden Prairie there's a mast-arm mounted doghouse signal that operates split phase at peak periods, and permissive with a FYA at non-peak periods, Mn/DOT got pmission from the feds to use it and it's the first in the country, although Mn/DOT intends to expand coverage.

Bridge Contracts: there are three out right now. 1)Test shafts, awarded to Bolander and Sons for $3.5 million, 2)Final design, which URS is among the bidders, 3)Peer review of final design, of which Jacobs is a bidder.

Mdcastle:
A contractor goofed and put up some "US 35W" shields for the MN 13 construction. Unfortunately they were fixed by the time I got back with my camera.
Post Merge: May 15, 2012, 05:48:42 AMOf note from my weekend trip:

Overhead signs along MN 60 and US 169 are being replaced with reflective signs and the lighting is being shut off

Not much activity along MN 60 expressway conversion southeast of Worthington. A lot of traffic was using the "old detour" even though they aren't supposed to. The "old" detour had a dynamic "your speed" signs, and they uprooted and left the signs at the entrances to the old detour rather than removing them. I'm thinking they might restore that as the detour route now that the frost damage has been fixed. The two lane sections are among the selected two-lane roads signed at 60mph.

Business MN 60 through St. James is now signed with standard Mn/DOT business signs.

When entering the two lanes sections of MN 60 (to be converted to 4 lanes in an upcoming pork barrell project) they want to make sure you're aware, of note the advance signs read "4 lanes end" not the usual "Expressway Ends", there is a flashing outlined two way traffic sign, and a dynamic speed readout sign.

A lot of the MN markers are nice and fresh.

froggie:
An earlier comment of mdcaste's got me to thinking just what new interchanges are planned in Minnesota.  Below is a list of all the interchanges (including interchange reconstructions) that are funded and scheduled.  While many more interchanges are proposed, I did not include those that are unfunded (and thus not scheduled).

MN 7/Louisiana Ave in St. Louis Park - a diamond interchange with roundabouts will be built this year.  This comes on the heels of the interchange built at Wooddale Ave recently.
US 10/Benton CSAH 2 in Rice - Planned for 2013, this is best described as an elongated diamond, and would replace the existing signal that is a notable bottleneck during summer weekends.
US 10/Otter Tail CSAH 34 near Pelham - a diamond interchange is being built this year.  This is on the existing Pelham bypass.
MN 13/Old MN 101 in Savage - A weird 3-way interchange is already under construction and will be completed this year.
MN 13/Dakota CSAH 5 in Burnsville - A partial folded-diamond (with a WB off-ramp loop) is planned for 2012-13.  This is just west of I-35W.
US 14/Nicollet CSAH 41 near Mankato - Long proposed and finally funded to begin this year, this will extend the existing freeway around Mankato west to CSAH 6 and build a partial folded-diamond interchange with roundabouts at CSAH 41.
US 14/Blue Earth CSAH 12 - At the other end of the Mankato freeway, a folded-diamond with the off-ramps as loops will be built at an extended CSAH 12.
US 14/Waseca to Owatonna - Construction on the new US 14 freeway between Waseca and Owatonna will be completed this year.  It includes interchanges at MN 13 (already half-open), Steele CSAH 18, a relocated Steele CSAH 7, and a full cloverleaf at I-35.
MN 15/Stearns CR 120 in St. Cloud - Minnesota's second diverging diamond interchange will be built in 2012-13.
MN 15/33rd St in St. Cloud - This is a locally driven project that will build a new interchange in 2014 on the existing MN 15 freeway on the south side of St. Cloud.  I couldn't find anything on the preferred design, although the alternatives considered were all some sort of folded-diamond or partial folding diamond.
MN 23/Paynesville Bypass - To be completed this year, the Paynesville Bypass will include 3 interchanges:  a folded-diamond at a relocated Cemetery Rd, a diamond at MN 55/4, and a half-interchange at the east end of the bypass.  The bypass proper will not be full freeway as there will be at-grade intersections in between.
MN 23/MN 95 to Foley - Though not an interchange project, I thought it was of note that 4-lane widening of MN 23 between MN 95 and Foley will be completed this year.
I-35E/Cayuga Bridge in St. Paul - The long-proposed plan to replace the Cayuga Bridge on I-35E just north of downtown St. Paul will take place starting in 2013.  The plan eliminates the 3/4 interchange at Pennsylvania Ave and builds a new full interchange (a folded-diamond to the north) at Cayuga St.  Also included in the plan will be MnPASS lanes on I-35E.
I-35W/4th St in Minneapolis - Construction will begin this year on a new on-ramp from 4th St to northbound I-35W near downtown Minneapolis.
MN 36/English St in Maplewood - One of two MN 36 interchanges Monte mentioned previously, a diamond interchange will be built on MN 36 at English St in Maplewood in 2014.  Along with the closure of access at Hazlewood St, this project will effectively extend the MN 36 freeway to MN 120.
MN 36/Hilton Trl in Pine Springs - The other interchange Monte mentioned, to be built next year.  It'll be a tight diamond with roundabouts at the ramp junctions.
MN 36/Stillwater Bridge - Now that Congress and the President have approved an exception to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (as mentioned in another thread), construction is expected to begin on a new Stillwater Bridge next year.  The project includes a full diamond interchange at MN 95 (instead of the half-interchange existing today) and a full diamond possibly with roundabouts at CTH E on the Wisconsin side.
US 52/Goodhue CSAH 24 in Cannon Falls - A diamond interchange with roundabouts will be built starting next year.  This long-awaited project will eliminate the last two traffic signals on US 52 between St. Paul and Rochester.
US 52/Elk Run (near Oronoco) - To be completed this year, this is the state's first diverging diamond interchange, being built at a relocated Olmsted CSAH 12 about halfway between Oronoco and Pine Island.  Along with planned frontage road improvements, this effectively extends the US 52 Rochester freeway segment to the Olmsted/Goodhue County line (but not all the way to/through Pine Island).
US 52/Dakota CSAH 47 in Hampton - To be built this year, this will be a folded-diamond to the north, but some existing access points in Hampton will remain and so this won't make a full freeway through Hampton.
US 52/Dakota CSAH 86 near Cannon Falls - Planned for 2013, this isn't an interchange project per-se, but I found it of interest.  MnDOT plans to build what they're calling a "Reduced Conflict Intersection".  Effectively a 3/4 intersection with U-turns, it'll close the through and left-turn movements from CSAH 86, but left turns from US 52 will remain, and U-turns will be built in the US 52 median on either side.  It's very similar to the intersection improvements Maryland has done on US 15 north of Frederick and US 301 on the Eastern Shore, or the "Superstreet" concept of NCDOT.
I-94/Albertville - Already under construction, this project modifies the I-94 interchanges in Albertville.  The CSAH 37 interchange will be rebuilt as a partial-folded diamond (with a WB on-ramp loop), effectively a full diamond interchange at CSAH 19, and C/D roads between the two interchanges.
MN 100/St Louis Park - The long-awaited full reconstruction of MN 100 in St. Louis Park will begin in 2015.  The plan includes reconstructing the interchanges at MN 7 (into a 5-ramp par-clo) and CSAH 5/Minnetonka Blvd (into a tight diamond).
MN 101/Hennepin CSAH 144 in Rogers - Planned for 2014, this project will effectively complete a freeway on northbound MN 101 between Rogers and Elk River (signals will remain for southbound MN 101 near I-94).  Three alternatives are being considered:  a diverging diamond, a SPUI, or a tight diamond.
US 169/Scot CSAH 69 in Shakopee - Planned for 2013, this will be a partial folded-diamond with a NB off-ramp loop.  It'll basically extend the Shakopee bypass freeway one interchange west.
US 169/I-494 in Bloomington - Planned for completion this year, this major interchange reconstruction will be a 6-ramp partial-directional interchange.  No direct ramps for EB 494 to NB 169 or SB 169 to WB 494 (most of these movements are assumed to be done using US 212).
US 169/Hennepin CSAH 30 in Osseo/Brooklyn Park - This one had been on the schedule for 2014, though that might change.  It's planned as a half-interchange to the south with 2 loops, and will effectively extend the US 169 freeway north through the MN 610 interchange.
US 212/MN 284 in Cologne - Another "Reduced Conflict Intersection" will be built here this year.
I-694/US 10/MN 51 - This major and long-needed interchange construction begins this year.  It effectively separates the ramps to US 10 and MN 51 onto C/D roads to allow for unimpeded I-694 through lanes.  Curiously, it includes 2 loop ramps on northbound MN 51:  to WB 694 and to WB 10 (via the westbound C/D road).

twinsfan87:
An update regarding the MN 101/CSAH 144 interchange: The preferred alternative is now a diverging diamond.

Thanks for that summary! I didn't know about many of those outstate interchanges.

flowmotion:
Thanks for the list Froggie -- MnDOT has some informative project pages that come right up on Google.

I will miss that old-school I-694/MN 51 interchange though.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page