Midtown Greenway Trail [not the transit thread]

Roads - Rails - Sidewalks - Bikeways
EOst
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby EOst » October 7th, 2016, 1:39 pm

Is this a replacement or a reconstruction? The rendering looks identical (albeit in much better condition).

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FISHMANPET
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby FISHMANPET » October 7th, 2016, 2:10 pm

Reconstruction. Also, which comittee is that report from?

The county had an open house about this (and the Cedar Ave bridge replacement) a month or two ago. They're going to be rebuilding these to look as much like the existing bridges as possible, but there are a few tweaks. The structure is a little "taller" to accomodate a more reasonable structure. Right now the road deck and sidewalk are essentially a part of the structure of these bridges, so it's not possibly to really change the configuration. With these new bridges they're just laid on top of the structure, so if someday we want to change things up (widen sidewalks, raise the bike lanes, whatever) that's pretty easy.

Also, the supports in the middle are actually decorative, not functional. They're not really needed with the structure they're planning. An added benefit to that is that they don't need to be reinforced if/when a light rail/streetcar is built through here, because they'll just harmlessly snap off if a train derails into them.

grant1simons2
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby grant1simons2 » October 7th, 2016, 2:31 pm

TPW

mattaudio
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby mattaudio » May 9th, 2017, 7:45 am

There are two construction trailers and a bunch of CS McCrossan workers on the HCRRA parcel between 17th and 18th Aves, and Midtown Greenway and 29th St. It seems too small to be a development. Ideas what's going on?

https://gis.hennepin.us/Property/map/de ... ,0,0,0,0,0

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FISHMANPET
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby FISHMANPET » May 9th, 2017, 7:57 am

My guess would be staging for Cedar Ave bridge reconstruction.

Cedar and Portland Ave bridges are being replaced this summer.

mattaudio
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby mattaudio » May 9th, 2017, 8:01 am

Oh that makes sense, since it's only a block away from Cedar.

amiller92
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby amiller92 » May 9th, 2017, 8:43 am

Biking home on Portland was kinda fun yesterday. I do not envy anyone trying to drive south with both Portland and Cedar closed at the Greenway.

SurlyLHT
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby SurlyLHT » May 9th, 2017, 9:02 am

I might have to ride home on Portland to see how my 4-wheeled friends are doing. On a related note I've read that the city is attempting to determine what to do with other aging bridges carrying less busy roads. I'm wondering if somehow if these can't support road traffic if they could be used as some sort of green or park space? This is probably wishful thinking...but converting bridges to parks would be neat.

http://www.hennepin.us/residents/transp ... ay-bridges

mattaudio
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby mattaudio » May 9th, 2017, 9:28 am

I'm actually planning to ride Portland home tonight, probably entering up the 29th St hill from 5th Ave S. I'm fully expecting this will make the 28th-31st St racetrack section not suck. I want to do some before/afters with this to help explain why those blocks of Park and Portland need a new design.

LakeCharles
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby LakeCharles » May 9th, 2017, 12:19 pm

I'm actually planning to ride Portland home tonight, probably entering up the 29th St hill from 5th Ave S. I'm fully expecting this will make the 28th-31st St racetrack section not suck. I want to do some before/afters with this to help explain why those blocks of Park and Portland need a new design.
Yeah, I rode home on it yesterday, and it was so much nicer in that section.

minneboom
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby minneboom » May 19th, 2017, 11:16 pm

The Union Park District Council is hosting a panel discussion about extending the Midtown Greenway over the Short Line Bridge into Saint Paul. The event will take place on June 7th, from 7-8pm. More information can be found at the facebook event below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/811768082310544??ti=ia

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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby SurlyLHT » May 23rd, 2017, 8:31 am

Biking home on the 28th street bike lanes recently I was surprised by how many of the riders being detoured off of the Greenway were riding on the sidewalk, instead of the protected bike lane. I think this shows both how uncomfortable much of the public is with riding in the street period. Secondly, it shows the value of the Greenway itself. (A caveat is that even though it's widened the 28th street bike lanes aren't super clearly marked as being 2-way.)

acs
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby acs » May 23rd, 2017, 10:44 am

Biking home on the 28th street bike lanes recently I was surprised by how many of the riders being detoured off of the Greenway were riding on the sidewalk, instead of the protected bike lane. I think this shows both how uncomfortable much of the public is with riding in the street period. Secondly, it shows the value of the Greenway itself. (A caveat is that even though it's widened the 28th street bike lanes aren't super clearly marked as being 2-way.)
Or it shows that the vast majority of bikers are conditioned to ride on the sidewalk regardless of what markings are in the street. Almost all the surrounding suburbs allow biking on the sidewalk, and generations have grown up learning to travel that way with no thought otherwise, and go figure a lot of those same kids now live in Minneapolis where the rules are different.

amiller92
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby amiller92 » May 23rd, 2017, 12:33 pm

I don't think anything near the vast majority of bikers ride on the sidewalk in Minneapolis, especially not when there is decent on-street infrastructure.

David Greene
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby David Greene » May 23rd, 2017, 12:45 pm

I don't think I would use the bike lanes on 26th or 28th in that area. Way too much car traffic. I would want more physical separation than plastic posts. An actual concrete curb would help, a short (2-3 ft) wall/planter would be better. Traffic calming could help.

amiller92
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby amiller92 » May 23rd, 2017, 1:26 pm

Theses days, the cars aren't moving during rush hour anyway, thanks to the mess caused by the closures of Cedar and Portland at the Greenway.

I was actually planning to ride 28th on my way home today. I typically do the east/west part of my trip either farther north or farther south, but want to see how bad the gridlock is and represent for bikes in a lane that people like to claim doesn't get much use (nevermind that I see people in it when I'm crossing 28th all the time).

Both should totally have curb protection, though.

ProspectPete
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby ProspectPete » July 6th, 2017, 9:21 am

Here is an article from last month in the Strib about the (renewed) interest in connecting the Greenway into St Paul.

http://www.startribune.com/bicycling-ad ... 427332913/

SurlyLHT
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby SurlyLHT » September 21st, 2017, 10:25 am

I saw a train going across the bridge over the river last weekend. I was watching it from the Lake Street bridge and it seemed like the train was going 10 MPH or really slow. That bridge must be in really bad shape. I half expected to see the bridge and train fall into the river. Hopefully, a deal is made to use the bridge to extend the Greenway before it does fall into the river.

grant1simons2
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby grant1simons2 » September 21st, 2017, 10:47 am

Oh that reminds me I have a video of that

EOst
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Re: Midtown Greenway

Postby EOst » September 21st, 2017, 11:11 am

I've been told by multiple people that the bridge is in very bad shape. Proposals to extend the Greenway across would either have to rehab that bridge pretty extensively, or else rebuild it in place.


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