Hennepin & Lyndale Bottleneck Project

[mattaudio]

That seems like an incomplete plan for Metro Transit. OK, so your bus stops are in the pink areas. But your buses run in the yellow lanes! Lots of assumptions are being cemented right now regarding how lanes will be used, how distances affect signal timing, etc. By the time MetroTransit gets involved, it will obviously be too late to argue for transit priority in lanes, and may possibly be too late to advocate for transit priority with signal systems.

[Nathan]

That seems like an incomplete plan for Metro Transit. OK, so your bus stops are in the pink areas. But your buses run in the yellow lanes! Lots of assumptions are being cemented right now regarding how lanes will be used, how distances affect signal timing, etc. By the time MetroTransit gets involved, it will obviously be too late to argue for transit priority in lanes, and may possibly be too late to advocate for transit priority with signal systems.

You have high hopes, mister, keep it up It didn't sound like there was going to be any transit priority. They said they checked with Metro Transit to make sure that it wouldn't slow down or interfere too much with the current system, and that it would be acceptable, but this isn't Metro Transits project/goal to make this a more efficient corridor. (they obviously aren't the ones who brought the project to the table)

[David Greene]

Clearly Option A provides the most green space, but seems unworkable for local access and the Route 25. Word going around last night was that Option A wasn't really an option at all.

Why is it unworkable for local access? Either take Vineland to Dupont or Franklin to just about any N/S street.

What is route 25's constituency? SWLRT will have a direct line from downtown to Kenwood. People can walk to LRT or walk to a Hennepin bus stop to get to/from downtown. I just don't see why route 25 is even an issue. I'm probably missing something and I want to understand that better.

I hate it when non-options are presented as options. Why bother and waste everyone's time? I really do want to see option A. That frontage route just contributes to the sea of asphalt feeling and I don't think narrowing will help that much. Its frontage-road nature makes the whole thing that much more freeway-like.

[MNdible]

It's not really clear to me what benefit this reclaimed space along the frontage road will offer. If it were offered up as a redevelopment option, that might be something, but if it's just more "green space" that nobody is going to take ownership of, I'm not convinced.

[David Greene]

It's not really clear to me what benefit this reclaimed space along the frontage road will offer. If it were offered up as a redevelopment option, that might be something, but if it's just more "green space" that nobody is going to take ownership of, I'm not convinced.

That's definitely a proper concern and the question of ownership and maintenance was presented in the landscaping section of the open house. It doesn't seem like there's a plan for that yet but apparently the Park Board is engaged as a constituent group.

I'd welcome development on the new space.

[David Greene]

David, we're talking about access from Douglas to NB bottleneck at Groveland, VIA the "frontage road" in question.

Head to Dupont, or Groveland off Mount Curve. It's like a two block "detour," if that.

[dingo]

I think the options presented are OK, but ideally this are needs to be transformed more to work better for Cars, Bikes, Buses and People.

In driving this area almost everyday there are a few things that have stuck out to me that need to be considered.
1. The 394 on ramp at Dunwoody Blvd. (Should users of the Walker, Lowry Park, Loring Park be using this ramp?)
2. Van White Blvd

I would be interested to see the traffic numbers on the number of cars going:
1. Left into Loring Park on Oak Grove from SB Lyndale.
2. Left into Walker area on Vineland from NB Hennipen [sic]

I guess what I am getting at, is could we eliminate left hand turns in both SB and NB at Oak Grove?

To do this I would propose a more direct route from Dunwoody to Kenwood by creating a road that goes straight from Dunwoody/Stadium Pwky stoplight to Kenwood.

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit? ... yCPF8u8MLc

Just a thought, but would eleminate alot of the craziness that is the Oak Grove/Hennipen [sic] intersection (for both cars, bikes and pedestrians.

[David Greene]

To do this I would propose a more direct route from Dunwoody to Kenwood by creating a road that goes straight from Dunwoody/Stadium Pwky stoplight to Kenwood.

A simpler thing would be to fix that whole intersection by connecting South Emerson/Stadium Pkwy directly to Dunwoody at I-394. There's a little-used parking lot there now. Then close the current intersection and reclaim the E-W portion of Stadium Pkwy as park land.

Of course the Mount Curve folks would have a conniption.

[mattaudio]

They just redid Stadium Parkway... and my guess is that MnDOT would be the ones having a fit. How could you connect that directly to Dunwoody without removing the high-speed right turn porkchop from 394 to Dunwoody?

[seanrichardryan]

I'd say those two left turns are used quite frequently. Access to both the Walker and the Churches depend on those left turns, not to mention all of the people that live south of Loring Park.

[woofner]

It's not really clear to me what benefit this reclaimed space along the frontage road will offer. If it were offered up as a redevelopment option, that might be something, but if it's just more "green space" that nobody is going to take ownership of, I'm not convinced.

The Lowry hill NA has a plan for this space that has been funded for 6 or 7 years. They've been ready to turn dirt but the city asked them to wait for this project. When the city came out with an initial layout that showed no changes to the frontage road space, this 'motivated' the lhna to become much more involved than they otherwise might have been. Perhaps a blunder on the part of public works.

[David Greene]

It's not really clear to me what benefit this reclaimed space along the frontage road will offer. If it were offered up as a redevelopment option, that might be something, but if it's just more "green space" that nobody is going to take ownership of, I'm not convinced.

The Lowry hill NA has a plan for this space that has been funded for 6 or 7 years. They've been ready to turn dirt but the city asked them to wait for this project. When the city came out with an initial layout that showed no changes to the frontage road space, this 'motivated' the lhna to become much more involved than they otherwise might have been. Perhaps a blunder on the part of public works.

Any info on what their plans are?

[twincitizen]

Does this link to my Dropbox work? Are the files accessible?
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6k1de93zmgcq ... nUqILJIwKa

It seems their plans were limited to landscaping the existing median area, as the current reconstruction project wasn't really on the table yet, hence the limited scope. Any of the ABC options will allow for much more beautification than was envisioned by LHNA a couple years ago.

[dingo]

I'd say those two left turns are used quite frequently. Access to both the Walker and the Churches depend on those left turns, not to mention all of the people that live south of Loring Park.

I can maybe see that...but couldnt people taking a left to the "churches" just use Hennipen [sic] to Spruce or Groveland to get to Loring Park?

and

People use Dunwoody or Groveland to get to the Walker?

[LyndaleHoosier]

So, if you eliminated left hand turn at Oak Grove on SB Lyndale, you would have a pretty huge gap in being able to make a left. Your next option is really 22nd St and no left turns between 4p-6p all the way down to 28th St.

I used to live at 15th & Spruce in Loring Park and used that left turn all the time. There was always a line of approx. 6 cars waiting to turn left onto Oak Grove.

[David Greene]

So, if you eliminated left hand turn at Oak Grove on SB Lyndale, you would have a pretty huge gap in being able to make a left. Your next option is really 22nd St and no left turns between 4p-6p all the way down to 28th St.

To be fair, you can make a right and circle around at any block. But your point is still valid. Those left turn movements from the bottleneck are important.

[grant1simons2]

Second option was chosen in the initial consent today

http://www.startribune.com/local/blogs/274497691.html

Side note: All option and plans can be reviewed here http://www.hennepinlyndaleproject.com/p ... ities.html, options 2 just looks like the best plan and I personally am so excited they picked this as a pedestrian and cyclist!

[Tom H.]

Keep reclaiming one lane at a time, and in a few decades, we'll really be getting somewhere.

[Silophant]

There's another public open house to show off the detailed design on February 10th at the Walker.

[PhilmerPhil]

See ya tonight!
http://www.hennepinlyndaleproject.com/p ... ities.html