urbanMSP

One thing about this bridge...it will have nice views coming down into the park and of the skyline. So it'll be a good spot to take a pic if nothing else:) ha.

I like the way it frames the station, but it provides no benefit to anybody (other than the few people heading deeper downtown from the stadium after a game), and very likely prevents widening the station to put in a center platform.

This bridge is so ugly. What was the whole point of making it again? Besides most people won't be crossing over the tracks. Most of them will be getting on the train. I guess I'm confused as to the whole reasoning behind the bridge.

I'm going to once again encourage you to please read back further in this forum (use the search box) to look into things more. I normally wouldn't chime in like this - but I've noticed you've been doing that a lot in various threads. Most often, the topics have been discussed at length, and are easy to find. I just did a 10 second search on Google, and was able to get tons of links: https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=c ... ve&ssui=on

The arches are great, just in the wrong place. Move or extend them to the vacated part of 5th Street, so that they gain some distance from the pedestrian bridge and serve as a human-scale terminating vista on 5th. Plus, you can run the new trail through one of the arches.

I always thought the arches were supposed to look like an aqueduct.

I guess the arches are "art" in the same way Peavy Plaza is (a poured win place monstrosity), and if it sticks around long enough, it too will become a registered landmark. It's just plain ugly and out of place (even when in front of the Metrodome). No matter what city you are in, government sponsored urban landscape art (almost) always hits the ground with a thud and a "ugh".

Also, not for nothing, the Vikings ownership was in the process of buying the underground parking ramp when they deferred to the MSFA. In that regard, they also procured and turned over the land that is becoming the park.

this threat is such a bitch fest. we're getting two narrowed streets, wide sidewalks, a nice park space.

arches are ugly eh? local artist designed them. i think the're nice. guess everybody's a critic.

...it provides no benefit to anybody (other than the few people heading deeper downtown from the stadium after a game)...

It would benefit anyone heading to the SW suburbs on the SWLRT when that gets built.

Yes, when that gets built, in many many years. So let's build it then. It serves no practical purpose right now.

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There are plenty of hotels and entertainment west of the stadium that people will be using the LRT to get to after games. Why are you assuming that the only direction anyone would head after a game is east?

...it provides no benefit to anybody (other than the few people heading deeper downtown from the stadium after a game)...

It would benefit anyone heading to the SW suburbs on the SWLRT when that gets built.

I didn't think about that. Once the south west line gets built there will be many more people crossing over the light rail tracks. You raise a very good point

Who is gonna pay 1.75 to ride a few blocks further into downtown? Most people will walk, the handful of people using the train in that direction still don't justify the huge expense.

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this threat is such a bitch fest. we're getting two narrowed streets, wide sidewalks, a nice park space.

arches are ugly eh? local artist designed them. i think the're nice. guess everybody's a critic.

LOL - not an issue I'd fall on my sword for, just an observation. As its already built, its not going anywhere. But not all local artists are equal.

...it provides no benefit to anybody (other than the few people heading deeper downtown from the stadium after a game)...

It would benefit anyone heading to the SW suburbs on the SWLRT when that gets built.

Also it would benefit people utilizing the commons park for game related events.

Who is gonna pay 1.75 to ride a few blocks further into downtown?

Downtown zone is $0.50, no?

Yeah that's right, just 50 cents for downtown zone.

Access to the park I can sort of buy, but then it's not a transportation project. It was never sold as access to the Commons park or other parts of the downtown. And most importantly, it was sold on an imagined need. Why couldn't they have held off a year or two to see how the area is actually used before we put millions of dollars into a bridge.

People. It's art.

Subjective opinion alert: Horrid

Again, let's remember that the original "plan" was a skyway link across 4th Street from the MSFA Ramp to the DTE Ramp (vertical circulation) which would have also provided a grade-separated pedestrian access from the Vikings stadium to the eastbound LRT platforms, without any crossing of streets or LRT tracks...

This is more of an LRT question but how long and how much would it take to convert the station from side platforms to a center platform?

General consensus around these parts is "a whole hell of a lot of $" due to the presence of a parking ramp underneath and all the structural consequences such a change would necessitate.

Center platform? They should bury the whole damned station underground. The station (and those godawful ugly arches) break up the illusion of the park being a plaza for the stadium. It was a good idea, but this is only a half-effort.

How many spaces are in that underground parking garage? I doubt their loss would be noticed.