MN-55 thru Minneapolis

[Mdcastle]

The NIMBYs won that one, for the most part. A full freeway wasn't built, but an interchange at Lake Street was, and the road was rerouted away from the VA hospital. With the light rail there's noises being made about downscaling Hiawatha into a cute "walkable" neighborhood street, but as AFAIK these are just noises from some of the more anti-car residents, not anything that's even being talked about officially.

[The High Plains Traveler]

I guess the next topic talking about MN 55 is why when the Hiawatha line was put in didn't MNDOT rebuild Hiawatha Ave the way it should have been as a freeway .....? I think the signals are timed to FORCE anyone travelling on Hiawatha to wait at EVERY light!

Part of the reason for delays along Hiawatha with the light rail is early preemption of the signals at intersections. The signals detect the train before it triggers the crossing signals on the cross-streets, and the signal goes into a preemption mode, stopping Hiawatha traffic to clear the cross-street. Once the crossing signals are triggered, the signal then gives the green to Hiawatha. I've seen the same mode of operation in Denver, so I would guess this is standard practice for LRT. I think Monte addresses the "why it's not a freeway" part of the question.

[I94RoadRunner]

The NIMBYs won that one, more or less. A full freeway wasn't built, but an interchange at Lake Street was, and the road was rerouted away from the VA hospital. With the light rail there's noises being made about downscaling Hiawatha into a cute "walkable" neighborhood street, but as AFAIK these are just noises from some of the more anti-car residents.

Weak on MNDOT. So instead of being a nice alternative to MSP airport, Hiawatha is no certainly no picnic to travel. It appears as though this corridor could easily be fixed and made much safer by elevating each of the crossings over BOTH the rail line and Hiawatha Ave and add 2 interchanges between MN 62 and Lake St and perhaps another lid or two along the corridor as well.

[silverback1065]

I'm so sick of these anti car people ruining everything

[Revive 755]

Part of the reason for delays along Hiawatha with the light rail is early preemption of the signals at intersections. The signals detect the train before it triggers the crossing signals on the cross-streets, and the signal goes into a preemption mode, stopping Hiawatha traffic to clear the cross-street. Once the crossing signals are triggered, the signal then gives the green to Hiawatha. I've seen the same mode of operation in Denver, so I would guess this is standard practice for LRT. I think Monte addresses the "why it's not a freeway" part of the question.

As I recall back in 2012, the signal preemption along MN 55 starts long before the light rail transit vehicles actually trigger the crossing signals - seemed like at least a minute - which results in extremely long green times for the cross streets.  For some jurisdictions in Iowa and Missouri, the preemption starts at most 10 seconds  before or when the crossing gates are triggered.

[froggie]

I guess the next topic talking about MN 55 is why when the Hiawatha line was put in didn't MNDOT rebuild Hiawatha Ave the way it should have been as a freeway .....?

That battle ended in 1985 when MnDOT's own EIS for Hiawatha Ave listed a 4-lane boulevard with LRT as the preferred alternative.  That said, their Access Management designation for Hiawatha suggests they'd still like to remove the signals at 26th and 28th.

Weak on MNDOT. So instead of being a nice alternative to MSP airport, Hiawatha is no certainly no picnic to travel. It appears as though this corridor could easily be fixed and made much safer by elevating each of the crossings over BOTH the rail line and Hiawatha Ave and add 2 interchanges between MN 62 and Lake St and perhaps another lid or two along the corridor as well.

MnDOT has long wanted people to take 35W to 62 or 494 to get to the airport instead of taking Hiawatha.  'Course, it's just as easy to hop the LRT now if your origin or destination is downtown.  It's actually quite useful (not to mention MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE) to fly in, hop the LRT, and get your rental car downtown.  I've done that myself.

I'm so sick of these anti car people ruining everything

Monte's "anti-car people" comment isn't quite apt.  More appropriate for this scenario would be "neighborhood activists".  It's really the adjacent neighborhood residents driving the proposal (no pun intended).

[Mdcastle]

Like I-35W and MN 62 can handle the traffic. If they could could squeeze a tight diamond in at 46th it would go a long way to fixing the problem.


I'll admit thought that LRT is quite useful. I need to go to Chicago several times a year for medical appointments, so I'll park for free at the 24th Ave park and ride and fly out and back the same day.

[froggie]

Like I-35W and MN 62 can handle the traffic.

Off-peak, they can.  Nevermind that dedicated HOV (I guess HO/T now) lanes on 35W and a 3rd lane each way on the Crosstown between 35W and Cedar have been part of the long-range plan for years.

If they could could squeeze a tight diamond in at 46th it would go a long way to fixing the problem.

Don't even need that.  Grade-separating the LRT, which was also part of the 1985 EIS, would have solved the problem.  But given that the city balked at paying a whopping $3 million contribution for the Lake St LRT grade separation, don't look for one at 46th anytime soon.