urbanMSP

http://www.startribune.com/rebuild-of-i ... 440941913/
Rebuild of I-35W in Minneapolis starting Monday 'will be tough' on drivers
Headaches and gridlock loom as a four-year rebuild is set to begin on Monday.


Interesting***

MnDOT says it will add extra lanes on Interstate 394 between downtown and Hwy. 100 next spring to help with the traffic crunch. Crosstown also will be re-striped with a third lane, McBride said.

Misery will spread to south Minneapolis neighborhoods next spring when lanes on Park and Portland avenues now reserved for parking are dedicated to buses during peak travel periods. The lanes will give transit vehicles access to I-35W when downtown exits are closed.

All those extra lanes better go away again once the project's done.

I wouldn't mind keeping the bus lanes.

Fair point. I didn't see that they were bus lanes.

Hope they use the work on Park/Portland as an opportunity to implement the protected bikeway plans and move the bike lane to the curb. Biking between the busway and traffic lanes would not feel great.

Well it's half and half, I don't think the extra lanes on 394 and 100 are for buses, those are probably for cars.

So road work is going to begin on Maryland tomorrow. Based on what Commissioner McDonough said here https://streets.mn/2017/08/16/podcast-1 ... mcdonough/

It sounded like the 4-3 conversion data generally supports keeping the change (though we'll find out soon enough). If the test worked out well, were they going to implement a 4-3 all along Maryland where they're reconstructing it, or just along the portion they tested?

Isn't the resurfacing just Greenbrier to Johnson (same section as the 4-3)? I'm not aware of any current plans to extend the 4-3 outward. We've talked a little bit about pushing for changes on the Rice to Jackson section if the test succeeds.

I thought I saw signs indicating Maryland would be closed for construction east of Johnson, though Ramsey County's website (https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/r ... esurfacing) says it's only from Greenbrier to Johnson, so I must have been mistaken. I'll look again next time I drive by.

Maryland Avenue test extending to next May. They are considering how to tweak the section west of Arcade and how to make the Maryland/Arcade intersection work better.

Data available here: https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/r ... -test-data

I hear they are also considering extending it west to Arkwright and east to White Bear Avenue.

I hear they are also considering extending it west to Arkwright and east to White Bear Avenue.

With the support and strong opposition, respectively, of the area council members.

I hear they are also considering extending it west to Arkwright and east to White Bear Avenue.

With the support and strong opposition, respectively, of the area council members.

We really have to get rid of Bostrom. His sarcasm and opposition to good things pisses me off more because he represents what used to be my ward for 20 years growing up.

Tiller, we should talk offline about this.

https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/r ... esurfacing

Sounds like they're going to restripe Maryland 4-3 all the way west to Arkwright and collect data over the winter, and then resurface in 2018. Yay for extending the 4-3 conversion, but :'( for delaying the 54 extension again.

I didn't realize it would result in the delaying of #54. That is too bad.

Also, I knew the city council member west of Edgerton was in favor of testing all the way to Arkwright, but I doubted the Ramsey County commissioner on that side would agree to it. My understanding was the test would just extend west to Edgerton.

From the presentation:

• "Maryland & Edgerton reconstruction scheduled for
  2019"
• "Traffic increases toward 35E"
• "Ramsey County will collect additional data and study
  Payne to Arkwright this winter"

The docs online are all I have to go off of since I wasn't able to make it to the recent public feedback meeting (if there was any new information there).

A message from Ramsey County says they are resurfacing Maryland between Clark and Edgerton Streets starting September 18th. The announcement makes no mention of restriping to 3 lanes or a test of any kind. This is actually discouraging to me, since it again would have provided the opportunity to try out the different lane arrangement, but apparently they're just going forward with this section as is.
https://content.govdelivery.com/account ... ns/1b7622d

I just passed a sets of signs at Arkwright and at Payne saying they were closing to pave it on the 20th. If they're planning on testing a 4-3 over the winter like they said, this is their time to implement it. *fingers crossed*

The city of Saint Louis Park has been experimenting with traffic circle trials in the Elmwood neighborhood. It has long suffered drivers ignoring stop signs and speeding through.

http://sailor.mnsun.com/2017/09/13/st-l ... -controls/

There is a long history with the reconfiguration of Wooddale Ave near Aldersgate Church, where Wooddale was severed to direct drivers to TH 100’s aux lanes and away from the neighborhood. Residents instead drove through Aldersgate’s private lot to cut through to their homes. The city is blocking that off now making Elmwood residents use public streets.

Fire trucks and snow plows were tested around the circles and employees are giving thumbs up. Residents are skeptical but some are positive too.

If you are interested in seeing a city try out temporary roundabouts head out to SLP’s Elmwood neighborhood. More cities need to try these things and give residents a chance to see them before curbs and pavement is put in. If you visit you can get some photos of signs against two way streets and against sidewalks!