Orange Line / 35W@94: Downtown to Crosstown Project

[twincitizen]

I'm almost certain I heard something about designing it in such a way to slow bikers down.

[Nathan]

Or just to make sure they use the bike path that is a few feet away...

[UptownSport]

Here's one from the I-35W Transit/Access Website, which, in case you didn't know it, is "Current Work"

[Le Sueur]

Here's one from the I-35W Transit/Access Website, which, in case you didn't know it, is "Current Work"

Thanks for the second render. Nice to see the anticipated pedestrian connection to the greenway for the future streetcar line.

[Le Sueur]

Did a little digging. Here's a nice detailed concept layout of the planned access changes as of 2010.

http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups ... 264829.pdf

Edit: Found a second document that is more detailed(Also circa 2010). Very interesting proposals around page 60.

http://www.sehinc.com/files/online/I35w ... oposal.pdf

If you have no motivation to page through a large document, here's a couple of early planning shots.

[Lancestar2]

the second photo with the towers looks rather neat. Do you know if they serve a purpose besides to look pretty?

[woofner]

If you have no motivation to page through a large document, here's a couple of early planning shots.

These images are actually from an earlier iteration of the project, from the early 00s. They are included because the document you linked was SEH's bid for the current iteration, so they included examples of the work they did on the earlier iteration. Nothing resembling those designs is currently being considered.

[UptownSport]

I liked the prison towers.

[PhilmerPhil]

Yikes. An eight lane road in the middle of one of the densest, best-served-by-transit parts of the city... I hope that aspect hasn't carried over to the current plan.

[Le Sueur]

If you have no motivation to page through a large document, here's a couple of early planning shots.

These images are actually from an earlier iteration of the project, from the early 00s. They are included because the document you linked was SEH's bid for the current iteration, so they included examples of the work they did on the earlier iteration. Nothing resembling those designs is currently being considered.

Yeah, I get that. Maybe should have made it clearer. In my understanding many things have changed, including the nixing of the Lake St Acces to NB 35W. I was mostly interested in what had been discussed in the past for the routing of new accesses to 35W and 94.

Do you know redisciple, will the bridge replacements North of this site (Flyover to WB I-94 & SB I-35W braid Bridge) coincide with this project. And is MnDot really trying to move Flyover to WB 94 access to the middle rather than the right shoulder of 94? Or does anyone know the reasoning behind this idea?

[UptownSport]

And what is planned for entrance to WB 94? That mixer lane ties up entire free way before lowry tunnel

[seanrichardryan]

It's those damn early-mergers crossing the double white line.

[MNdible]

And what is planned for entrance to WB 94? That mixer lane ties up entire free way before lowry tunnel

As I understand it, they want to move up the off-ramp to Hennepin Lyndale so that it occurs before the 35 to 94 flyover -- that way, these two traffic streams won't need to cross each other.

[UptownSport]

That'll be interesting to see ...

[mattaudio]

It would work out quite well. Glad to see they keep taking my suggestions... too bad they aren't planning on the ultimate fix map I had published on Minnescraper back in 06. OR maybe it's just that great minds think alike.

[woofner]

Do you know redisciple, will the bridge replacements North of this site (Flyover to WB I-94 & SB I-35W braid Bridge) coincide with this project. And is MnDot really trying to move Flyover to WB 94 access to the middle rather than the right shoulder of 94? Or does anyone know the reasoning behind this idea?

I think those bridge replacements will end up happening a bit later than the Lake St project. They are programmed for 2018 in the State Highway Investment Program, whereas they're trying to let engineering contracts for the Lake St stuff ASAP. Not sure if that's getting held up by Minneapolis not endorsing the Lake St to NB 35W ramp though.

Unweaving designs for the NB 35W to WB 94 ramp were included in the DT Minneapolis Freeway study, ranging from impossible (one of the designs would have required a taking of Oak Grove Towers) to doable but expensive (as a tunnel will need to be built for the ramp to Hennepin/Lyndale. I would say that all of this stuff is so volatile politically that it's hard to predict exactly what will happen - maybe most likely is that everything stays the same.

[twincitizen]

And is MnDot really trying to move Flyover to WB 94 access to the middle rather than the right shoulder of 94? Or does anyone know the reasoning behind this idea?

Last I heard (from the mouth of Jim Grube) the preferred option for the replacement NB 35W to WB 94 flyover would place that traffic on the left side of WB I-94, (I think this is what you mean by middle) rather than the right lane as it does now. The "4th St" entrance ramp behind the Convention Center would be removed in this case. I'm not sure how this affects the whole system, but it should make things a whole lot smoother for people who use WB 94 to the Hennepin-Lyndale exits.

I'm guessing (and backing it up with lots of personal experience) that this conflict between cars entering WB 94 and cars trying to exit at Hennepin/Lyndale is a HUGE bottleneck that could be remediated by this change. I have to believe that cars entering WB 94 from the future left-hand entrance would be prohibited from crossing over 4 lanes to exit at Hennepin-Lyndale...but I have nothing to back that up.

This flyover ramp is one that is required to be replaced by a certain date, no? So it must actually happen despite political wrangling? (whether in the form I described or the same as it is currently)

[mattaudio]

Seems like it would be just as easy to weave the Hennepin-Lyndale exit around the flyover approach from 35W, so that traffic from 94 to Hennepin-Lyndale (and maybe even 394) would automatically divert to the right side approaching the exit/tunnel.

[woofner]

Here is the link to all the docs for the DT Mpls Freeway study, the scenarios I mentioned above are in the Tech Memos folder in TM 4 Appxs C+D (a 20 MB pdf):

ftp://ftp2.dot.state.mn.us/pub/outbound ... dy%202007/

The saner options there tend to show the WB 94 Henn/Lyndale exit in a short tunnel under the traffic entering WB 94 from 35W. Now that I look again, scenario 3B shows that left entrance, coming from an overpass that also branches to approach WB 94 from the right, presumably for traffic from NB 35W that wants to exit to Henn/Lyndale. That would take a lot of pressure off 11th St, especially because it also shows a branch to 3rd Ave S.

Like I said above, very expensive option. I can see why Jim Grube favors it, but my guess is a simpler option will win out.

[seanrichardryan]

Bad link?