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Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: June 13th, 2012, 10:29 am
by Nathan
I think this is pretty exciting, a great link for two neighborhoods, great for biking as well as cars. And is going to create amazing opportunities for the development of that land in such a great underutilized area!

http://www.minnpost.com/two-cities/2012 ... ong-legacy

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: June 13th, 2012, 10:38 am
by lordmoke
Hopefully this project, the Lowry bridge finally opening, and Plymouth Ave bridge coming back online will give a little kick to North Minneapolis economically. Right now, there aren't really many ways in there from the rest of the city.

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: June 13th, 2012, 5:38 pm
by Wedgeguy
I'm hoping with the SWLRT line station, that is supposed to be at the bridge, that the city,county, and state can design the station and bridge into one cohesive beautiful structure.

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: June 14th, 2012, 10:32 am
by Nathan
Technically isn't there a plan for that whole area, including the storage area, and impound lots? It would be such an amazing location, close to DT and the Lakes. I think a while back Ryan Cos won a bid to develop it... Had a number of mixed use towers blah blah... 20 year plan... Do it now? Please?

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: September 17th, 2012, 12:18 pm
by mulad
Has there been much progress on this? I don't get over to that area as often as I probably should. Have the bike paths been affected by construction?

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: September 17th, 2012, 1:02 pm
by woofner
The bridge seems to be progressing well, not that I'm an excellent judge of bridge progress. The exit from Dunwoody to 394 has been reconfigured slightly to accommodate the Van White roadway(s).

I haven't seen any closures of the Cedar Lake Trail itself - there hasn't been any construction on that section except for the intersection with Dunwoody/394. They did rebuild the sidewalk that used to be the connection between Dunwoody and the Cedar Lake Trail. It's now about 8' wide blacktop.

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: December 4th, 2012, 10:13 pm
by David Greene
Technically isn't there a plan for that whole area, including the storage area, and impound lots?
That's the Bassett Creek Valley Master Plan. It was worked on for over a decade by Bryn Mawr and Harrison residents. It's in the Minneapolis comp. plan.
It would be such an amazing location, close to DT and the Lakes.
Indeed!
Do it now? Please?
Uncertainty over the Interchange and a possible diesel train layover facility have stopped the project for now. Basically the county is holding the neighborhood hostage for rail lines that aren't going to appear for 20 years. The whole episode is a good case study of structural racism in action. No one intends an outcome that disproportionally burdens minories, but there it is. Inertia and "this is the way we've always done it" are conspiring to restrict development in an economically depressed area.

The Kenilworth alignment for SW LRT gives the neighborhoods quite a bit of leverage to force a break in the logjam. Thay're working very hard on it!

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: December 4th, 2012, 10:27 pm
by David Greene
Since Van White will dump everyone out into the Bottleneck, a great complementary project would be to connect Penn completely over Bassett Creek Valley. It winds right onto Franklin in Kenwood and would be a wonderful connector between the Northside and the Lowry Hill area.

It would also generate more ridership at the Penn Ave. station. It would add a nice bicycle connector.

Of course, Mount Curve residents will never let it happen. Pity.

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: December 4th, 2012, 10:57 pm
by seanrichardryan
It would more easily connect to Kenwood Pkwy just as it starts up the hill towards Mount Curve, sort of a fly under bridge just where the freeway ramp from Penn is located.

There is a crusty old railroad dormitory that could probably come down to make space....

That doesn't negate the dramatic grade changes though.

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: December 5th, 2012, 9:16 am
by mattaudio
I could see a road connecting around Kenwood Park, from Franklin curving north on Logan, west on Douglas, crossing Kenwood Parkway, then across the valley.

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: December 5th, 2012, 11:32 am
by Nathan
I think the biggest concern is that the Penn exit from 394 would then become the new Uptown exit. Flooding the hood with a lot of vehicle traffic. Maybe a bridge connecting Oliver from N to S would make more sense. It would make the neighborhoods connect without being so convenient for thru traffic?

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: December 5th, 2012, 11:38 am
by Nathan
A Waverly place connection under 394 N to Morgan could be cool too.

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: December 5th, 2012, 3:13 pm
by David Greene
It's a good point about creating a new freeway access to Uptown. I hadn't thought of that.

All I know is that we need some kind of better connection here. Van White is nice but it will cause some congestion issues. And we really should have a connection from Lowry Hill to the Penn Ave. station.

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: December 5th, 2012, 3:30 pm
by Nathan
It's a good point about creating a new freeway access to Uptown. I hadn't thought of that.

All I know is that we need some kind of better connection here. Van White is nice but it will cause some congestion issues. And we really should have a connection from Lowry Hill to the Penn Ave. station.
I think if you page through the SW LRT proposal they create some sort of pedestrian/bike connection

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: December 5th, 2012, 3:55 pm
by David Greene
I think if you page through the SW LRT proposal they create some sort of pedestrian/bike connection
That's a start, but it's not all about the LRT either. I want to see better connections between the North and South sides so that people, commerce, etc. can flow more easily between the wonderful communities in both areas.

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: December 5th, 2012, 4:17 pm
by seanrichardryan
When it was Hwy 12, several streets were major arterials, notably Cedar Lake Road which is now a couple stumps.

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: December 6th, 2012, 12:20 am
by Uptown46
I've always thought a bridge between Penn Ave (just south of 394) to Douglas Ave. could make a useful connection. You could provide vertical access to the new Penn LRT Station from the bridge and fill a major gap in road connections between north and south Minneapolis. The access planning I've seen in the past for the Penn station is pretty bad - the LRT station site is really cut off from both the north and south being down in the trench.

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: December 7th, 2012, 3:09 pm
by mplsjaromir
Bridges ain't shit but roads on sticks.

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: December 25th, 2012, 2:46 pm
by seanrichardryan
There once was a connection from Kenwood Parkway to Hwy 12. Here it is in 1938-

http://geo.lib.umn.edu/minneapolis/y1938/MP-1-94.jpg

Also note Laurel Avenue above, with the long bridge across the tracks, which connects behind Dunwoody to the Basilica and Hennepin beyond. Bryn Mawr was not nearly as isolated as it is now.

Re: Van White Memorial Bridge

Posted: December 25th, 2012, 7:15 pm
by web
well there still sorta is farther east.....by the ice arena