urbanMSP

The Red Line was not about transit, it was about adding through lanes and turn lanes to Cedar Ave in Apple Valley, consolidating access, replacing millions of dollars worth of aging stoplights, etc. If 350 people get to ride a bus each day that's just a bonus.

I'm curious what's better... - "Streetcar" LRVs in mixed traffic, lack of signal priority, and other hobbling factors BUT with dual-track ROW - Traditional LRT-spec with minimized grade crossings, TSP or railroad signals, 3+ LRV trains, and strategic grade separation BUT with significant s...

The central roof of Miller Hill Mall collapsed...

Oh yeah I wrote this 9 years ago https://streets.mn/2014/02/11/southwest-lrt-plan/

"Current 12 foot ceilings" underground... sounds perfect for that bus layover facility to replace Gateway Ramp and allow for the next block to redevelop...

I say this as a former candidate endorsed by Mpls firefighters union a decade ago, and without prejudice to the merit of their staffing or operations desires... but they've been bringing up those same points about NFPA standards since at least 2013. What categories are those 55,000 calls in? How man...

I saw on Wikipedia that a heritage train used to be run from Mpls to the Renaissance Fest in the 80s along a now-abandoned ROW. Would it be possible to run a seasonal train like this today from Union Depot instead? Yes that HCRRA line was the Chicago & Northwestern line to Minneapolis via Hopki...

I can't imagine Dan Patch as a branch of SWLRT. It *could* make sense as a regional rail link between existing lines at Northfield and Savage to the Iron Triangle near the West End to bring passenger trains to Downtown Minneapolis. Imagine passenger rail from the metro to Sioux Falls via Mankato/Wor...

My son thanks you - we now have more places to go check out trains. Except he does not yet understand that I can't summon a train to show up just because we're near train tracks. Since we're plugging depots, historic rail spots, and railfan sites: - Depot Bar & Grill in Downtown Faribault. This ...

Will NLX use Amtrak Airo/Siemens Venture trainsets? From a service standpoint, how could the Northstar Bombardier Bi-Levels be integrated into a common regional rail service brand? Northstar's 6 trainsets are woefully underutilized and could probably support 4-6 trips per day to St. Cloud and Mankat...

Back in the Minnescraper days, possibly before Target Field, I pined for a 6th Street tunnel. It would have leveraged the Target Field and Metrodome excavations for eastern and western portals. And, because it was already full unreality, I suggested a two-level tunnel akin to Market Street in SFO or...

Does that mean they'd close the existing east and west bank facilities minus the children's hospital? Or just close the east bank hospital?

The bridge over the river is double-tracked, but there are tiny single-track choke points at the Target Field Station throat and the southern leg of the Mpls Jct wye. Somewhere in a thread long ago I suggested converting these to double crossovers so there are effectively two mains from Mpls Jct to ...

My first reaction was wanting to see the Swedish Hospital building facing Elliot Park preserved, but that's only a small part of that superblock. Between demolition of the Parkside ramp, and hypothetical reconstruction or reconfiguration of those old MMC facilities between Swedish Hospital and the b...

So they plan to expand the parking ramp on their block facing Thrivent, then demo their parking ramp near Parkside Professional Bldg/North Central University where they will build a bed tower. While that may be a fine plan, I'm not sure what it has to do with either (a) shrinking their footprint or ...

Yes. There's been talk about a station at Foley Park & Ride serving Amtrak, NLX, and Northstar. While that would probably be fine, something in NE Mpls would be better. Now into full fantasy territory, sure seems like a station at the Minneapolis Junction wye (to allow direct service on NLX and ...

It would also be easier to share trainsets between NLX and TCMC if there was one primary Amtrak station/terminal in the metro.
Instead, we'll have Empire Builder and additional Chicago services stopping at SPUD, NLX terminus at Target Field, and a servicing facility at Midway Station.

FBOs are terminals, just not commercial air service terminals- that may explain the naming question. Regarding filling in the lake, remember this plan which DID put a commercial terminal on the northwest corner? Funny but related, I can no longer find the source but I once read the reason Terminal 1...

Long Term Plan updates are nearing a final recommendation. Here's a presentation from a few months back: https://www.mspairport.com/sites/default/files/2022-08/ExperienceMSP_%233_FINAL.pdf Likely changes include: - Crossover taxiway between the north and south sides of T1 close to Hwy 5 across the a...

5401 Chicago Ave
A new, four-story mixed-use building with 50 dwelling units and approximately 3,800 square feet of commercial space.
https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/download ... aff%20memo