urbanMSP

Maryland Avenue 4-3 test has begun.

One way to help make this successful - chip in a few bucks to help this sign project reach its goal:
https://www.generosity.com/community-fu ... lawn-signs

One place of public reaction to Maryland so far. https://www.facebook.com/vincent.xiongg ... 1577421465

Here's another (in a closed group, though.)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Eaststp ... 579066868/

Looks like the bonding bill included money for the 10th Avenue Bridge and the Orange Line / Lake Street / 35W rebuild.

House transportation bill - page 105, lines 22-25:

Subd. 6. Limitation on certain debt obligations. The council is prohibited from issuing certificates of participation for light rail transit secured in whole or in part by (1) a pledge of motor vehicle sales tax revenue received under sections 16A.88 and 297B.09, or (2) a pledge of any earnings from the council's investment of motor vehicle sales tax revenues.

This would end the Met Council's ability to issue Certificates of Participation to fund the last piece of SWLRT. It doesn't look like it got removed in the amendment process, at least not according to what I can see on the Legislature's website.

If this language did actually sneak into the transportation bill, it would effectively kill SWLRT. There's no way it got through, right? People would be talking about it, I'd think.

I believe the current funding plan has Hennepin County issuing bonds for it, based on future dedicated sales tax revenue. So I don't think this would have any impact on SWLRT.

Ah, I see. I must have missed that with all the CTIB re-jiggering that's been going on lately.

If you want to support the Maryland 4-3 conversion, please leave positive comments with the county here:
https://www.ramseycounty.us/content/mar ... dback-form

Maryland 4-3 is going to be maintained for the second 6-week test period. Sounds like it's going well. Biggest complaint in the comments they've received so far is complaints about drivers' ability to turn (left?) onto Maryland from local streets. Not sure that was ever easy or possible, though--it certainly isn't on Rice.

Maryland 4-3 is going to be maintained for the second 6-week test period. Sounds like it's going well. Biggest complaint in the comments they've received so far is complaints about drivers' ability to turn (left?) onto Maryland from local streets. Not sure that was ever easy or possible, though--it certainly isn't on Rice.

That was definitely never easy/possible

Where did you get this information from?

Where did you get this information from?

I'm curious as to where that information came from as well. If it's true, I am totally in support of it. 6 weeks seems like a bit skimpy to fully collect and study the data.

Most of the initial uproar has died down, it seems. There's still some pedestrian blaming going on and refusal to read countless 4-3 lane conversion studies.

But I hope this reconfiguration stays.

I heard it from John Maczko.

Does anyone know if the Como/18th avenue signal removal is permanent? It felt pretty nice biking through there with a 4-way stop.

Our Streets Mpls tweeted out a couple pictures of the updated concepts for the 4th and 8th St reconstructions through downtown: It's not super obvious from the picture, but that bikeway is up at sidewalk level, behind the curb. Followup tweets indicated that they're still considering having it be a two-way bikeway, and that the 3rd vehicle lane might drop at 2nd Ave S.

I was still frustrated by the 8th St plans here, for a "utility lane" type thing for buses. Yeah, how does that work on Hennepin?
Seeing that 8th St doesn't connect to anything on the west end, and only connects to TH-55 on the east end of downtown, seems like this would be the perfect street for bus/bikes east-west through the core.

The 4th street concept looks really nice. I use the current lanes often to exit Downtown via the Hiawatha trail. I'm wondering where the buses will go however?

The ones that use the contraflow lane? I'm guessing 3rd, although maybe it would make more sense for the 7 to stay on Washington and the 14 to stay on 7th? Its always seemed a little strange to me that that portion of Washington from Hennepin to 4th or wherever has no local routes on it.

Maryland 4-3 is going to be maintained for the second 6-week test period. Sounds like it's going well.

Summer is waning away. I'm curious if there has been any more rumblings about this project?