Minnesota Notes

[Papa Emeritus]

Over the weekend, a 5 year old girl was fatally injured on 36 after the car she was a passenger in stalled out, then was rear ended at highway speeds.

Some people commenting on the Strib article about the crash say what all of us know: 36 should have been upgraded to a freeway from 694 to the St Croix River. People treat 36 as though it's a freeway, then they have to quickly slow down when there is a traffic signal, or a stalled vehicle....and not everyone is able to stop in time.

Although upgrading 36 to a freeway wouldn't have prevented this crash, it would have prevented other crashes on this road.

The same problem exists on 7 in St Louis Park; it's a freeway from 100 to Texas, but because there's a hill between the Louisiana interchange and Texas, people coming over the top of the hill have to quickly slow down if the light is red at Texas and / or if there is a traffic backup in the Knollwood area.

Here's a link to the article; may this innocent little girl RIP. I can't imagine the anguish her family is feeling.....

https://www.startribune.com/lake-elmo-crash-leaves-5-year-old-with-life-threatening-injuries/600337437/

[froggie]

A weird thing in Blue Earth County that recently happened in conjunction with closing the CSAH 27 left turn lane in Eagle Lake: CSAH 17 between TH 60 and CSAH 27 has been redesigned as CSAH or CR 170 (not sure if it's still receiving state aid), so there are now two disconnected sections of CSAH 17.

MnDOT's EMMA shows it as CR 170.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Got out to the new TH 167 today.

-The mileposts were recalibrated from former TH 67, and are marked backwards with Mile 0 being at the entrance to Upper Sioux Agency State Park, beyond which the road has a hard closure.
-With the implemented elimination of Upper Sioux Agency State Park, there will be no reason for this to remain a state highway long-term.

[texaskdog]

So many road projects were being talked about when I moved from MN to TX in 2006 that still haven't been completed.  MN 24 Clearwater bridge 94/10 connection.  Twin cities turnbacks.  316 becomes 61.  Are they ever happening?

[Molandfreak]

So many road projects were being talked about when I moved from MN to TX in 2006 that still haven't been completed.  MN 24 Clearwater bridge 94/10 connection.  Twin cities turnbacks.  316 becomes 61.  Are they ever happening?

Unfortunately, I doubt TH 316 will ever become 61 proper. They constructed a roundabout at the southern intersection instead of realigning the roadway and subsequently four-laning it like they should have done. They appear to have completely given up on doing the right thing on TH 55 west of Hastings, too, since the most recent plans I've seen involve a lame transitional center passing lane and a roundabout at CSAH 42/CSAH 85. This really should all be four-laned with an exit to CSAH 42/85, a roundabout would just be accident city with the amount of traffic there.

The city of Rosemount also allowed some commercial development too close to the US 52/CSAH 42 interchange, which shouldn't have happened since that's the final nail in the coffin for what actually needs to be done there.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

There's a resolution that passed the St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commission to officially restore the Rondo Ave name along Concordia Ave from Griggs to Kellogg. The section of Concordia Ave west of Griggs would remain Concordia. As I understand the process, the full City Council will hold hearings on it before deciding to pass it later this month.

Concordia University is in favor of the move. Interestingly enough, the name Concordia was first proposed by Public Works Commissioner Milton Rosen and approved in January of 1964, though the College (at the time) was in support of the idea. It wasn't until about 10-12 years ago that Concordia moved its official mailing address to Concordia Ave.; previously, the school's address was on Syndicate St.

Yesterday, the St. Paul City Council voted to restore the name of Rondo Ave. The renaming will take place in two stages: first, Concordia will become Rondo from Griggs east to Mackubin. Then, when the next council is in place, the process will restart with the Heritage Preservation Commission and look to rename St. Anthony to Rondo from Western to Rice. It's not yet known if the Concordia name will remain from Mackubin east to Kellogg.

The city council has approved the second phase of renaming St. Anthony Avenue between Rice and Western.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/02/08/rondo-avenue-name-restored-by-st-paul-city-council

[bschultzy]

The city council has approved the second phase of renaming St. Anthony Avenue between Rice and Western.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/02/08/rondo-avenue-name-restored-by-st-paul-city-council
[/quote]

This is great news! I drove through the Dale/Rondo intersection a few weeks ago and it's still signed Concordia, and Google Maps hasn't received an update yet either. Hopefully these changes are implemented sooner rather than later.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Duluth will likely make changes to the section of SKyline Parkway underneath Enger Tower after two recent deaths in separate incidents. Some residents want cars banned frrom the stretch near the tower but the city looks like it will go to a less harsh approach of possibly upgrading stop signs and adding electronic speed displays.

https://www.fox21online.com/2024/02/28/mayor-reinert-proposes-options-to-w-skyline-parkway-after-2-fatalities/

[Rothman]

Duluth will likely make changes to the section of SKyline Parkway underneath Enger Tower after two recent deaths in separate incidents. Some residents want cars banned frrom the stretch near the tower but the city looks like it will go to a less harsh approach of possibly upgrading stop signs and adding electronic speed displays.

https://www.fox21online.com/2024/02/28/mayor-reinert-proposes-options-to-w-skyline-parkway-after-2-fatalities/

Glad to see that the response is measured from the list at the bottom of the page.

Due to the area, I'm curious to see if alcohol was a factor in the roll-off fatality.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

A look at some of the US 53 Can of Worms work in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Duluth, with a closeup of the sign bridge. I think it would have looked better to just put separate "SIGNAL AHEAD" banners over the left two signs rather than have one sign awkwardly straddle them.

[froggie]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk_aLhs9RdM

A consultant video I was just introduced to about the US 10/169 project in Ramsey (lane closures begin Monday).  The project will build frontage roads and two interchanges at CSAH 57/Sunfish Lake Blvd and CSAH 56/Ramsey Blvd.  Both interchanges will nominally be of a dumbbell design (diamond with roundabouts).  The interesting thing I noted at both interchanges is the roundabouts on the north side of 10/169 will include the frontage road and the off-ramp, while the westbound on-ramp is offset from the roundabout and basically hugs the end of the bridge over the mainline.

The video also confirms what I wasn't sure on before during preliminary design:  the two existing businesses between 10/169 and the railroad, and between the Ramsey Transit Station and CSAH 83/Armstrong Blvd will indeed be removed, which means this project will extend the freeway section on 10/169 past Armstrong Blvd.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

MnDOT released alternatives for a planned downsizing of TH 55/Olson Memorial in north Minneapolis. The current four-to-six-lane boulevard has become a heavy target of urbanists in recent years over safety issues as well as being routed through minority neighborhoods when it was constructed in the 1930s/1940s. As much of the traffic the route carried has long shifted to I-394, there is probably little harm in downsizing it.

One lane had already been repurposed for bikes in recent years in spots.

https://sahanjournal.com/climate-environment/mndot-designs-olson-memorial-highway-minneapolis/

[froggie]

^ It's not just the routing along former 6th Ave.  There were several properties later razed razed in the vicinity of Penn Ave for construction of an interchange that never happened.

[Mdcastle]

So how's it going to work out when close to 30,000 vehicles a day try to use a single lane?

[froggie]

It's not that high.  More like 20K...and that's only if volumes have actually recovered to pre-Covid levels (latest data I could find was 2021, and 15K).  A number of local roads that function with such.  And at higher driveway frequencies.

Borderline to be fair, and I'd prefer 4 lanes.  But not as dire as you're making it out to be.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I'm not on Olson much but it always seems sleepy.

[Mdcastle]

Should at least make Minneapolis or Hennepin County take the former road if it's no longer going to be designed for regional mobility.

[froggie]

^ Pretty sure MnDOT already has it as a turnback candidate.

[midwesternroadguy]

^ Pretty sure MnDOT already has it as a turnback candidate.

What would happen to TH 55?  Would it become discontinuous? Or be rerouted onto I-394 and 94?

[bschultzy]

^ Pretty sure MnDOT already has it as a turnback candidate.

What would happen to TH 55?  Would it become discontinuous? Or be rerouted onto I-394 and 94?

It would make sense if it was routed along 100->394->94.

[Molandfreak]

Looks like TH 123 is finally going to be turned back in August. https://www.house.mn.gov/sessiondaily/Story/18216

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Looks like TH 123 is finally going to be turned back in August. https://www.house.mn.gov/sessiondaily/Story/18216

6 Route No. 185.
Revises a statutorily designated trunk highway to remove Trunk Highway 123 in and
near Sandstone, along with adjusting the statutory route. The revision is subject to an
agreement with Pine County to transfer jurisdiction of the road.

7 Route No. 186.
Makes conforming changes for the Trunk Highway 123 turnback, to remove a
segment that is being added to a different statutorily designated route.

8 Route No. 341.
Makes conforming changes for the Trunk Highway 123 turnback, to establish a new
statutorily designated trunk highway within Sandstone

This sounds like while they're going to get rid of 123 as we knew it, the state is also going to be taking over a different piece of road in Sandstone. I wonder if 123 just gets "realigned" or "reassigned". I don't know if their plan is to put the TH 23 "business loop" currently made up by 123 and Pine County 64 as a state route, but it would be a setback to the eventual plan to put 23 onto I-35 between Exits 191 and 195.

Or is this actually going to be them moving 23 off of its current route through Sandstone, but just giving it a new number?

https://www.house.mn.gov/hrd/bs/93/HF3436.pdf

[froggie]

Here's what the full bill language says for the three Legislative Routes in question (edited to show only the "final version"):

Route No. 185 Beginning at a point on Route No. 1 and Route No. 390, thence extending in a northeasterly direction to a point on Route No. 103 as herein established in Duluth.

Route No. 186. Beginning at a point on Route No. 110 as herein established, thence extending in an easterly direction to a point on Route No. 1 and Route No. 390; affording Isle and Finlayson a reasonable means of communication each with the other and other places within the state.

Route No. 341. Beginning at a point on Route No. 1 at Sandstone, thence extending in a generally easterly direction to a point at or near the east bank of the Kettle River.

-----------

It is hard to say if MnDOT is relocating Constitutional Route 1 onto I-35 through here.  Technically, I-35 is not within the Sandstone city limits...while the city has annexed land on the west side of 35, it is discontinuous from the rest of the city (this per MnDOT's EMMA mapping application).  A Constitutional Route realignment would not require legislation, as long as the routes Constitutional parameters are still met.

My interpretation:  if C.R. 1 does indeed get moved to I-35, then it's a safe bet that MN 23 will be moved onto I-35 as well.  In this scenario, MN 18 would be extended east to Exit 195 and MN 123 would both be extended and truncated.  The extension would be along the short stretch of 23 between 123 and Exit 191.  The north(east) end of 123 would be truncated to the east end of the Kettle River bridge, or possibly to CSAH 29 (the access road to the Federal prison).  The legislation doesn't make clear the endpoint, but both are logical assumptions given the language.

If C.R. 1 does NOT get moved onto I-35, then MN 23 and MN 18 would remain as-is and only the truncation of MN 123 (as described above) would occur.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

The 2024 construction roundup.

New projects:
-Reconstruction of the I-90/US 52 interchange near Rochester, including a new flyover from SB 52 to EB 90, the current interchange's problematic movement.
-I-90 bridge replacements in the Austin area.
-Filling the TH 23 "south gap" of the 4-lane expressway between Paynesville and New London
-Grade separation of railroad on US 10/75 in Moorhead
-I-35 bridge replacements in the Hinckley area.
-Filling of I-94 six-lane gap between Albertville and Monticello
-New interchanges on US 169 in Scott County at TH 282 and CSAH 59
-Filling of four-lane gap on US 212 between Cologne and NYA
-Westward extension of road from I-94/TH 610 interchange to connect to Hennepin CSAH 30
-Stone Arch Bridge rehabilitation

Ongoing:
-I-35/535/US 53 Can of Worms rebuild in Duluth
-I-35W/494 interchange in Bloomington, including ongoing work on a new turbine ramp from NB 35W to WB 494
-Converting the US 10/TH 23 interchange in St. Cloud from a cloverleaf to a folded diamond
-US 169 freeway conversion in Elk River (the new Main St. interchange)

https://dot.state.mn.us/construction/index.html

[EpicRoadways]

New projects:

-Westward extension of road from I-94/TH 610 interchange to connect to Hennepin CSAH 30

https://dot.state.mn.us/construction/index.html

I'm still a little bit unclear about what exactly is included in this project. According to the project webpage, the direct connections between 610 and 94 are all "unfunded", with the exception of the EB 610 thru movement onto the existing 610. If the WB 610 connection/flyover is unfunded, will the new "funded" westbound alignment between Lawndale Lane and the future EB 94 ramp sit unused until there is funding to complete the connection? Will there be some sort of temporary signal setup or two-way traffic along the future EB 610 connection to tie both WB and EB thru traffic together in the meantime? Maybe I'm just missing something and the graphic on the first page is just out of date, because there are other places on the website that make it seem like the unfunded sections are going to be constructed shortly as well.