urbanMSP

What are you basing this on? Have you looked at soil borings? Do you know something that the engineers don't know that assures good soil conditions? The committee presentation posted earlier that prompted this latest round of discussion. The area they're most worried about regarding soil conditions...

Having looked at the real estate plats in that area for a separate project, as long as they remain within the rail corridor ROW (presumably why they need to purchase land or an easement from BNSF), then David is technically correct in that the Bottineau line will not go through parkland. Does the ra...

For the record, current state law prohibits MnDOT from dropping or rerouting 51 south of University. This was pushed and put in by some neighborhood activists (who apparently didn't live along Lexington) to try and prevent connections from Ayd Mill to either 35E or 94. I believe R.I.P. 35E (who was ...

I had a lengthy chat with Matt about this back in January when he asked my viewpoint. IMO, the biggest issue isn't the block west of Nicollet...it's the 2 blocks between Nicollet and 35W, where you have turning traffic at Nicollet, queueing traffic to 35W, through traffic, plus bus stops, parked car...

The driving surface was repaved not all that long ago, but the bridge deck (which includes A LOT underneath the driving surface) hasn't been significantly worked on in 30 years. It was due. I don't believe this redecking is making the bridge less fracture-critical, unless some of the critical compon...

I agree your suggested route is feasible though I would prefer planning around using the Vento since it is owned by the public and hits metro state and minnehaha well.

I initially used the Vento, but I didn't like the geometry of getting it underneath 94 then over the BNSF lines to connect to SPUD.

For my part, since I'm retired military, I wish the USO lounge was INSIDE security instead of on the 2nd floor above/behind ticketing. Would also be nice if the Humphrey Terminal had a USO lounge, though I admit demand is MUCH smaller there...

The downside to all of this is that, for Riverview, Rush Line, and even Gateway (if LRT had been chosen) is that there's no "common sense" connectivity. The upside is that we have an opportunity to plan these lines, and the services which will eventually operate on these lines, using a sy...

Got an E-mail from the project manager. They are indeed building the new Nine Mile Creek bridge as a 6-lane span (striped for 4 lanes) so as to not preclude any future widening or improvement. He said that MnDOT is currently undergoing a "MnPASS/Transit advantage study" along 169 from Shak...

But why would this be the case? The level of Kellogg and Sibley is nearly the same as the level of the train deck underneath the concourse. Sibley drops fast to get underneath the railroad tracks and down to Shepard Road. The blue S curve he shows could easily happen with a "viaduct" on t...

Not sure about the BRT/MnPASS question. But buses are not banned...there are bus shoulder use signs along the 35E Parkway.

There are advantages and disadvantages to putting LRT on the SPUD concourses. Works better for connections (which I do believe will someday include more than a handful of buses and one Amtrak train a day), but is farther of a walk for those with an origin/destination in the area. Probably a better o...

For my part, I originally suggested the Rush Line follow the Swede Hollow corridor because it was an already-existing right-of-way, which presumably would cut costs. When I went in for a deeper look last year, I became unconvinced that the topography would allow for an easy connection between the Sw...

EB-5 is also being used for a reportedly big biotech endeavor here in northeastern Vermont. It's been reported that the buy-in here was $500K. Not sure what the status of the project is...the "owner" has been having some issues lately.

Compared to stacks and flyover ramps, cloverleafs are cheap. They also function adequately in rural areas with lighter traffic volumes (i.e. I-35/US 14). When MnDOT redid the southwest leg of I-494 a decade ago, they looked at a flyover at Hwy 7. It was dropped due to cost. It's highly likely that a...

At the time, there was a lot more along 7 out towards Excelsior and the south side of Lake Minnetonka than there was along 55. 7 was important enough back in the day that it was 4-laned back in the 1930s and 40s, long before 55 needed 4-laning.

I have a feeling that area is going to need something huge, complex and ungodly expensive. Only way to eliminate the weaves and retain existing access, yes. Does anyone else find it weird that Hennepin Co built cloverleafs at 55, Rockford Rd AND Bass Lake, but somehow skipped MN 7? Besides what Ano...

An underground walkway would have to go pretty deep to avoid Kellogg. And you'd also have conflicts with the parking garage underneath the main part of Union Depot. No matter what connection method is attempted, you would still incur the "mode-transfer penalty" if you keep the Green Line a...

The problem with Kellogg is that, once you get near SPUD, Kellogg is at a lower elevation than the concourse. This would require some sort of elevated LRT track above the Kellogg/Sibley intersection. Last month, in the Riverview thread, I had come up with 2 options for bringing the existing Green Li...

Of note: Lake Street exit is signed as US 212!

212 followed Lake St from ca. 1934 (when it was extended east from Willmar) to ca. 1983.