Interstate 35W

Roads - Rails - Sidewalks - Bikeways
blobs
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby blobs » February 10th, 2014, 12:45 pm

It is pretty disgusting how badly Interstate 35W (not to mention 94) harms Minneapolis neighborhoods. And they want to expand it.

HiawathaGuy
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby HiawathaGuy » February 10th, 2014, 4:03 pm

It is pretty disgusting how badly Interstate 35W (not to mention 94) harms Minneapolis neighborhoods. And they want to expand it.
Welcome to America... I can't think of any major freeway near an urban core that didn't bisect communities. Love them or hate them though, until the masses are not addicted to their cars, they aren't going anywhere. 35W, IMO, is in dire need of upgrades, especially on this approach and how it connects with 94.

Head in the sand ideas and hoping our 10+ year/line wait for piecemealed train/BRT service upgrades are going to make the need for more efficient freeways in the core even more necessary. Dynamic shoulders, increased bus/HOV lanes, etc. need to be a part of the mix. I'm always amazed at how poorly built 35W/94 is... especially after traveling to countless other metro areas that seem to have figured it out.

twincitizen
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby twincitizen » February 10th, 2014, 5:44 pm

http://www.startribune.com/local/south/244549541.html
Catching people who drive illegally in the MnPass lane is a priority for MnDOT — and the two state troopers it deploys just to enforce the law.

Tcmetro
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby Tcmetro » February 10th, 2014, 6:25 pm

I use the carpool lane every morning, and it's great to see that its patrolled regularly.

RailBaronYarr
Capella Tower
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby RailBaronYarr » February 10th, 2014, 7:04 pm

Why can't (/didn't) they install cameras that snap the interior of the car and license plate if the transponder isn't communicating with it? A team of people that don't require expensive cars, gas, and cause congestion when pulling people over can monitor. Troopers can only pull over so many people per hour. Law breakers know this and that the odds they'll be near one are slim, thus it's worth the risk (even if the ticket is expensive). Cameras catch everyone. Is the problem the same issue they ran into with stoplight cameras?

Tcmetro
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby Tcmetro » February 10th, 2014, 7:41 pm

One the other hand, it's much more visible to have state troopers pull people over. And who wants to be pulled over by a trooper?

I suppose it's similar to the way that the light rail uses a proof-of-payment system. It isn't too difficult to cheat it, but if you get caught, see you in court!

seanrichardryan
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby seanrichardryan » February 10th, 2014, 8:37 pm

In Boston they just have a trooper that stands at the entrance to the HOV lane giving dirty looks. It's pretty effective.
Q. What, what? A. In da butt.

gman
Block E
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby gman » August 6th, 2014, 10:40 am

Southbound I-35W in Minneapolis closing Aug. 8–11

Northbound I-35W closing Sept 5–8
ROSEVILLE, Minn. – Motorists traveling southbound on Interstate 35W in Minneapolis will encounter a detour Aug. 8–11, weather permitting.

Southbound I-35W from Highway 55 to 46th Street in Minneapolis will close Friday, Aug. 8 at midnight through 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 11.

The closure is needed while crews survey I-35W for a road construction project between 46th Street and I-94 scheduled for summer 2017.

Southbound I-35W traffic will be detoured to westbound I-94, westbound I-394, southbound Highway 100 and eastbound Highway 62. Motorists intending to access southbound I-35W from westbound I-94 or the 4th Avenue/12th Street ramps in downtown Minneapolis will follow the same detour.

Motorists intending to access southbound I-35W from eastbound I-94 will be detoured to eastbound Highway 55 and westbound Highway 62.

For a full list of southbound I-35W detours and additional ramp closures, visit www.mndot.gov/i35wclosure/.


Sept. 5–8 closure

Northbound I-35W from 66th Street in Richfield to I-94 in Minneapolis will close Sept. 5–8 as crews continue survey work on the other side of the freeway.

A full list of northbound I-35W ramp closures and detours will be announced in the coming days.

In addition to the survey work, crews will drill and take soil samples, inspect bridges and perform any needed repairs during each closure.

MnDOT is closing I-35W for two weekends to reduce the number of days needed to perform the work. The closures also will provide a safer work environment for survey and maintenance crews, as stretches of the I-35W work area have limited to no shoulder space.

MnDOT urges motorists to always be attentive, drive with caution, slow down in work zones and never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.

For more information on the I-35W closures, visit www.mndot.gov/i35wclosure/.

mattaudio
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby mattaudio » August 6th, 2014, 10:51 am

Of note, bridges at 35th/36th/38th/42nd will not be replaced despite rehabilitation and construction of a southbound MnPASS lane on this stretch.

twincitizen
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby twincitizen » August 6th, 2014, 2:46 pm

Damn. I was half hoping the closure would fall on at least one weekday, thereby forcing my lazy ass onto a bike.

Mpls9

Re: Interstate 35W

Postby Mpls9 » August 6th, 2014, 10:53 pm

What's going on between the U and The Quarry? NB 35 is open but torn up on the shoulders. Lane expansion??

mamundsen
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby mamundsen » August 7th, 2014, 7:56 am

This project:

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projec ... index.html

This project is a collaborative effort of Hennepin County, the City of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The purpose of the project is to relieve congestion on Washington Avenue, improve access to northbound I-35W from downtown Minneapolis, reduce the traffic that diverts through Northeast Minneapolis to access northbound I-35W, and to improve access to northbound I-35W. The project will be completed using the design-build process, which allows the contractor to design and work on the project concurrently, allowing for more flexibility

Summary of work
-Build a new ramp from 4th Street South to northbound I-35W
-Construct an auxiliary lane from University Avenue to the Johnson Street exit
-Reconfigure Johnson Street exit to serve Johnson Street, New Brighton Boulevard and Stinson Boulevard
-Erect a noise wall on the west side of I-35W between Broadway Street Northeast and Johnson Street Northeast

mulad
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby mulad » August 7th, 2014, 8:30 am

I don't like that they're adding a lane, but I do like that they're finally combining the two exit ramps for Johnson St and Stinson Blvd/New Brighton Blvd. People would always get confused by the pair of exits so close together and take the wrong one. The ramps came so close together after leaving the highway that you could cross between the two by just driving over some painted white lines (I don't think I ever did, but there were several times when I considered it because I'd accidentally taken the "wrong" exit -- not that it's very hard to recover, especially if your destination is The Quarry). Removing the extra ramp probably drops the need for the extra lane, since a decent amount of congestion around that curve was caused by people jockeying to pick the right one (and they'd still frequently make a mistake).

I wonder if they'll also get rid of the pointless bus ramp that re-enters the highway from the Stinson/New Brighton exit ramp. (I hate to remove dedicated bus infrastructure, but there's zero value to that piece of pavement.)

Looks like the longest closure for this project will be for the ramp from 4th Street SE to NB I-35W -- it closed overnight and is planned to stay closed until August 27th: https://twitter.com/mndotnews/status/496966469742510080

mattaudio
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby mattaudio » August 7th, 2014, 9:09 am

It is sort of sad to see some I-335 ghost ramp grades disappear..

I wish they could remove the ramp from Washington to NB 35W since they're building a new ramp from 4th Street/trench.

froggie
Rice Park
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby froggie » August 7th, 2014, 9:11 pm

I wonder if they'll also get rid of the pointless bus ramp that re-enters the highway from the Stinson/New Brighton exit ramp. (I hate to remove dedicated bus infrastructure, but there's zero value to that piece of pavement.)
As I recall, that bus ramp was added (along the alignment where 335 would have merged onto 35W, BTW) for buses to avoid congestion on the mainline north of the Stinson exit. Of note is how that bus ramp becomes the 4th lane on northbound 35W from there up to the 36 split.
I wish they could remove the ramp from Washington to NB 35W since they're building a new ramp from 4th Street/trench.
I don't. Having two on-ramps like that adds flexibility and ensures that traffic heading for northbound 35W is spread out. Otherwise, what is the current need for 3 eastbound lanes on Washington would become a need for 3 eastbound lanes on 4th.

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FISHMANPET
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby FISHMANPET » August 7th, 2014, 9:13 pm

I don't know where we've been discussing the potential for capping 35W, but there's a talk this Saturday by one of the architects that laid forth the vision back in April:
http://www.thinkagainmn.org/stone-arch/ ... sion-group

grant1simons2
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby grant1simons2 » August 7th, 2014, 10:54 pm

Wait. So if I go into the school of design for architecture and minor in urban planning is there a chance I could work on this? Just a small question. This is such an interesting project

grant1simons2
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby grant1simons2 » August 8th, 2014, 11:04 pm

8:30 AM tomorrow! Hope to see some of you there :D

twincitizen
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby twincitizen » November 24th, 2014, 10:58 pm

New entrance ramp is open for your driving pleasure: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/news/WCMS1P-134188

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woofner
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Re: Interstate 35W

Postby woofner » November 25th, 2014, 8:51 am

How odd that they neglected to mention that this project removed the transit-use shoulder from northbound 35W.
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