Minnesota Notes

[froggie]

According to a recent MnDOT news release, the MN 23 Paynesville bypass was supposed to have opened up this past Friday (the 20th).  Haven't had an opportunity (being now in Africa waiting on a ship) to verify this.

[Mdcastle]

Also, it should be noted that the lane configuation has changed in the new interchange. Southbound US 169 to MN 13 and Eastbound County 101 come together and each keeps a lane, US 169 northbound to MN 13 now narrows from two lanes to 1, and then forms the left lane when it combines with the ramp form SB 169/WB 101. The three lanes continue to the ramp to MN 13, than the right lane exits off. This means that the heavy US 169 south to MN 13 south movement keeps and stays in it's own lane, prior to this their was a regular backup in the afternoons.

Going the other direction the mainline is also three lanes with the ramp from MN 13 north becoming the new left lane. Although this introduces a weave and functionally a left exit/entrance I haven't seen it be a problem in practice.

[Mdcastle]

The gene pool improves: A man tried to drive a U-Haul onto the Mall of America parking ramp. He struck a telltale and ignored it and continued on, where he stuck a beam which fell down on top of him. Two other people in the truck had only minor injuries.

I live a couple of miles away but I hate the place and rarely go there... The theming has been watered down considerably over the years, and most of the unique stores have been replaced by generic chains and a lot of the trees are gone from the amusement park.

[NE2]

The new US 14 west of Owatonna is now open:
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/d6/newsrels/12/H14/8-29owatonna.html
http://mankatofreepress.com/local/x620789811/Highway-14-Waseca-bypass-opens
http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=44.0899&lon=-93.348&zoom=12&layers=M

[Mdcastle]

This is the big weekend. Today the Hastings Bridge arch is going to be moved onto barges, on Sunday it will be lifted into place. Webcams:
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/hastingsbridge/webcam2.html

[on_wisconsin]

This is the big weekend. Today the Hastings Bridge arch is going to be moved onto barges, on Sunday it will be lifted into place. Webcams:
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/hastingsbridge/webcam2.html

Here is a recent photo capped from the webcam:

[Milepost61]

Is that red color its final color? If so kudos for going different. Not too many red bridges over the mighty Miss.

[Mdcastle]

Yes it is. The original concept art had the whole thing grey/silver and and in an informal poll the majority of the residents wanted blue arches, but the terracotta red is kind of the unofficial color of the city, reflecting the red brick of the historic downtown area. The streelights in the town also were terra-cotta, but as they get knocked down they're being replaced by unpainted galvanized. (The ties are going to be grey and the cables will be silver. It looks like they'res some red on the bottom, but those are rusted concrete forms.)

[Coelacanth]

In somewhat related news, the new Lowry Avenue bridge in Minneapolis opened to traffic on Saturday.

[Mdcastle]

Now that all the litigation involving the I-35W bridge has settled, there's no reason to keep the remnants and they will be scrapped as soon as the winter weather ends. There's been discussion about donating some pieces to the survivors or the local engineering school, St. Thomas wants a piece for a  shelf or something to hod the rings for the graduation ceremony, but MN/DOT is concerned about lead paint and "doesn't want pieces to end up on eBay or Craigslist"

They were somewhat evasive about where the peices are located, but I tracked them down; the smaller pieces were housed indoors in a building specially built at the Oakdale Truck Station, the larger pieces originally sat in a park adjacent to the bridge, raising the ire of the Minneapolis Park Board, until the litigants agreed they could be cut into truckable sections and were moved to a disused gravel pit off I-94  near Lakeland. What's left is the structural steel of the main span; all the concrete and the steel of the approach span, of no forensic value, were recycled immediately. You can see the pieces without climbing the fence, but you do have to trespass a short ways on the driveway off a fairly heavily used road. In another thread I posted a picture and a link to Google Earth where the girders are clearly visable.

[Mdcastle]

The second and third permanent doghouse signals are coming to Minnesota. The first was the first use of a FYA at a split phase intersection in the country (now it can go between split phase and permissive phasing depending on time of day) and the first use of a bimodal arrow in Minnesota, the second and third are to replace the signals at the 90th  and I-35W ramps. In both cases the situation is left turn lane shared with through traffic.

In all cases they go
         R
<-Y           Y
<-FY/G      G

[twinsfan87]

There's actually another one in operation at US 61/Buffalo St in White Bear Township. They just installed it when they did the repaving job on US 61 last year.

[froggie]

But was that one mast arm or span wire?  The latter are usually cheap/temporary installations within the state.

[twinsfan87]

The two in operation are definitely permanent. The first intersection (in Eden Prairie at Valley View Rd and Prairie Center Drive) has them installed on Hennepin County's typical mast arms, and the intersection in White Beat Township has them installed on MnDOT's new unpainted truss mast arms. I would guess the ones in Bloomington that Mdcastle mentioned will be similarly permanent.

[Mdcastle]

Yes, the 90th street signals will be typical galvanized mast arms.

Since FYA are required for most new installations with dedicated left turn lanes, and a 3 light FYA/YA/RA isn't to my knowleged an approved configuration in Minnesota (so it looked odd to me when I saw it on the east coast), I wonder how they'ed do an installation for permissive only. Probably install a 4 light and not use the green arrow section. There'd be some merit to that approach as it keeps things consistant for drivers (although if more doghouses go up this would change), and if traffic grew to require a protected phase in the future they could implement it with just a programming change.

[Coelacanth]

I thought this was interesting. Never seen a press release for a turnback before.

Hwy 258 is officially Brown County Road 16
MnDOT transfers ownership to county effective today — April 15



MANKATO, Minn. — The ownership of Highway 258 to Comfrey has officially transferred from the Minnesota Department of Transportation to Brown County, effective April 15, 2013.



Highway 258 from the south Brown County Line (County Road 17) in Comfrey to Highway 14 is now Brown County State Aid Highway 16.  Turnback funds totaling $5.2 million are provided to Brown County to restore the 10.8 miles of roadway to an acceptable condition.



Motorists will see the highway identification signs change yet this week.



Highway 258 is one of several 200 series roadways that MnDOT is working to transfer to a proper level of government. Other roadways have been identified in a statewide jurisdictional realignment study.  For example, lower volume roadways, which are important at the county level, have a difficult time competing for funds with high volume highways in the state department and vice versa, a county road that is serving as a principal artery of the transportation system may be realigned to a state roadway.

[froggie]

There's precedent...the 1988 "highway swap" in Hennepin County generated considerable news.

[Molandfreak]

Notes 5-15:

Lino Lakes: There is a new partial-cloverleaf interchange on I-35E, exit 223. Last time I was here, this was under construction.

Hinckley (I): There are cutout signs designating "Old U.S. 61" along county road 61. The signs themselves do not have the original "Minnesota US 61," rather, they are signed "HWY US 61."

Hinckley (II): The county 61 spur is no longer signed, except at the traffic lights on I-35 and the road to the casino.

Hinckley (III): County 62 is now signed with the standard pentagon shield. I assume that all other roads in Pine County are signed with the white square.

Arden Hills: On I-35W, there is a detour for highway 10, which they are rebuilding the interchange for. The detour, interestingly enough, is signed with cutout shields.

[triplemultiplex]

I was in Canada over an extended Memorial Day weekend and it was my first time through the border at International Falls/Fort Frances.  What a clusterfuck of a border crossing!
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=48.60657,-93.40136&z=16&t=S

All of the customs buildings are mixed in with a sprawling paper mill that spans the river and a dam. There are pipes and conveyers overhead and all these railroad tracks crisscrossing the road.  One has to be cognizant of not stopping on those railroads (especially with a boat!) and figure out which building you're supposed to drive towards.  Going both ways, there was a locomotive tooling around the paper mill complex and needing to get across the road.  It was confusing as hell and the mill makes it noisy and foul smelling.  It's totally unflattering of the two cities as well.  At least the border agents can fart at work without anyone noticing.

It's a toll bridge (NB only) so there's another puzzle piece.  The route to the border on city streets takes one through a lot of 90 degree turns.  Even a trained roadgeek might find himself a tiny bit flustered.  Also there's very little room at the duty-free pick up spot. Two vehicles with trailers will obstruct traffic.  And this is northwest Ontario; a place with a lot of lakes that have a lot of fish.  There are lots of trailers going over the border here.

I whole heartedly endorse the creation of a new border crossing somewhere up there.  Anywhere that's not in the middle of goddamn factory/railroad yard is fine with me.  If some Congressman has to sneak an earmark into the "War Orphan Baby Kissing Bill" and the project goes over budget and the contractor is caught bribing somebody and they have to punch a bald eagle in the face repeatedly with a poo-covered Bible to get it done,  I am okay with it.  Anyone who would call it pork should have to navigate that maze at least once before they say anything.

Whew, that was good to go off about that.  I hope it was enjoyable.

More on topic, the 4 lane expansion of US 53 up to Cook looks to be in its first full year.  Lots of grubbing and earth moving over that 10ish mile stretch.  Must be at least a 2014 completion date.

Was surprised to see a traffic signal in little ol' Orr.

Driving through Virginia is very informative in the context of the ongoing debate in Wisconsin about a proposed iron mine between Mellen and Hurley.  I drove past the site on WI 77 a couple weeks ago.  I think I've made up my mind about that subject.

US 53 is in pretty rough shape in The Range. Very dated interchanges up there (except where 169 heads off to Ely).

Coming down the hill in Duluth is absolutely gorgeous.  Haven't gone that way since before the hill climb was rebuilt a number of years ago.  Not only is it a great view in all the usual ways, but you pretty much have an aerial view of the antiquated 35/535 interchange.  That junction sucks but it looks cool from up the hill.  There was even an outbound ship heading for the Blatnik Bridge at the time.  They matched the feel of the I-35 tunnels and canyons on US 53.

Since it was Memorial Day, the Fuzz was out in full force the entire trip back (both MN & WI).  Lotsa cops; lotsa dumbasses jamming on the brakes even though they were doing the speed limit.

[The High Plains Traveler]

I was in Canada over an extended Memorial Day weekend and it was my first time through the border at International Falls/Fort Frances.  What a clusterfuck of a border crossing!
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=48.60657,-93.40136&z=16&t=S

All of the customs buildings are mixed in with a sprawling paper mill that spans the river and a dam. There are pipes and conveyers overhead and all these railroad tracks crisscrossing the road.  One has to be cognizant of not stopping on those railroads (especially with a boat!) and figure out which building you're supposed to drive towards.  Going both ways, there was a locomotive tooling around the paper mill complex and needing to get across the road.  It was confusing as hell and the mill makes it noisy and foul smelling.  It's totally unflattering of the two cities as well.  At least the border agents can fart at work without anyone noticing.

* * *

IIRC, the bridge is owned by Boise Cascade. They have operations on both sides.

[froggie]

US 53 is in pretty rough shape in The Range. Very dated interchanges up there (except where 169 heads off to Ely).

In part because the interchange at MN 169 was only built within the past 10 years.  Was an at-grade junction where the 4-lane ended on US 53 before then.

[on_wisconsin]

The first lanes of the new Hastings Bridge opened today (6/4)!

Here is a shakycam drive across from YouTube:

[Coelacanth]

I received an email from MN/DOT today with the pithy title:

How to plan your summer around Hwy 169 construction

This would be funny if I didn't, in fact, have to plan my summer around Hwy 169 construction

[rte66man]

I received an email from MN/DOT today with the pithy title:

How to plan your summer around Hwy 169 construction

This would be funny if I didn't, in fact, have to plan my summer around Hwy 169 construction

Anything major in the email?  Headed up that way later this year.

rte66man

[froggie]

Looking at MnDOT's current construction projects, looks like plenty along 169, though probably the biggest-impact one (resurfacing between Milaca and Onamia) is supposed to be done soon, provided they haven't been delayed due to the weird weather this spring.