urbanMSP

So spend roughly 1/10th the requested money and fix the trees and pavers. I'll ask which is a worse blight on the city, causes more crime, and is holding back an entire area from gaining in property value - Nicollet Mall or Nicollet and Lake area. The latter is by far worse.

We all want Nicollet to be reconnected, but the property owner, Sears, has to be worked with. State bonding isn't going to be used to pave through the property owner's land without buy in from them. The city needs to engage with Sears on redevelopment and then ask for state bonding. I'm pretty sure the bridge over the greenway will have to be rebuilt at that time too.

I think you're overstating the importance of Lake-Nicollet both to Minneapolis and especially to the state.

But I agree it needs to be fixed.

Lord, you're creating a false choice. The city IS already in negotiations with property owners at Lake & Nicollet already, AND Nicollet Mall needs to be redone. They will both happen at some point in the future. Now, can we find something else to spin in circles about?

Well, the Vikings Stadium thread is unlocked again.

Can someone refresh me as to what was so wrong with it before the last redo?

city was freaked about the coming mall of america....that's what started the nicollet mall implementation committee.

From the Old Minneapolis group on Facebook, here is a picture of Nicollet Mall from 1969.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos- ... 0949_n.jpg

Hey look, a Powerpoint: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups ... 110035.pdf

I would welcome a redo of the mall, but it needs to be a local company that knows what materials will and won't work with our climate. They need to spend the money to do it right and use reputable companies. For a change don't necessarily go with the lowest bidder...

They're talking about July/August design competition and an October announcement for the winning design (and presumed unveiling). Project wouldn't start until mid-2015 and complete until mid-2016.

A cut and cover tunnel for a new north-south grade-separated LRT spine is scoped into this project, correct?

I would welcome a redo of the mall, but it needs to be a local company that knows what materials will and won't work with our climate. They need to spend the money to do it right and use reputable companies. For a change don't necessarily go with the lowest bidder...

I wouldn't want to narrow the choice of designers to a local company and risk not landing the best company for the job. Certainly, there can be safeguards to assure materials chosen will hold up against the elements. It appears that some of the non-local companies have experience working in cities, like Montreal, that have similar weather to Minneapolis. I'm hopeful, the ultimate design includes multimedia screens and other way-finding message boards. It would be great to have some large indigenous trees and a signature water element of some type.

A cut and cover tunnel for a new north-south grade-separated LRT spine is scoped into this project, correct?

I believe it's implied somewhere in the Appendix.

My sarcasm detector must be broken. Are you guys being serious (in re: LRT tunnel)?

It's an unrealistic fantasy, and mcc's response was sarcasm. It's not even on the radar. But I would love to see the following in my dreams:

LRT Underground, interlined from 29th & Nicollet to Central and Spring St NE:
- Red Line (steal that color back from the worthless BRT line) serving Richfield/Bloomington to Northtown
- Yellow Line serving Southwest LRT to White Bear Lake via Uptown, Northeast Industrial, and Rosedale
(The Green Line would be repurposed west of the Penn Ave station to West End on BNSF with further expansion down the 394 corridor)

Streetcar above ground with the following interlined services at grade through Downtown http://goo.gl/maps/R29C2
- L3 serving Como-Harriet / Uptown to Stadium Village via Hennepin, Nicollet Mall, and University/2nd St
- L4 serving 48th-Chicago to Grain Belt / 13th Ave NE via Chicago, 9th/10th St S, Nicollet Mall, 4th St NE etc
- L2 (our starter line) serving 31st St (MT garage) to Central Ave NE

I wonder how much more it would cost to relocate utilities under Nicollet so that it is future-transit-ready (regardless of mode)?

My sarcasm detector must be broken. Are you guys being serious (in re: LRT tunnel)?

I am not, but I can't speak for mattaudio (sarcastic tone implied)...

I guess it's not exactly conducive to an internet discussion board to have unclear sarcasm.

I wonder how much more it would cost to relocate utilities under Nicollet so that it is future-transit-ready (regardless of mode)?

Significantly less if it is done while the street is being fully reconstructed anyway.