Dismantling Downtown Freeways

[mister.shoes]

Thanks, panda. I appreciate it!

[twincitizen]

Are the 394 entrance/exit ramps that connect directly to Washington Avenue really necessary? It seems that 3rd and 4th Streets could handle the job just fine, without destroying the pedestrian experience on Washington. There's an additional freeway entrance by continuing ahead on 3rd Avenue.

By making this small change, we could put some very prime real estate back on the tax rolls and really improve the pedestrian experience at Washington & 3rd.

http://goo.gl/maps/mFvRP

[mister.shoes]

Completely agree that they're unnecessary and that the connections at 3rd and 4th are plenty sufficient. That whole mess of ramps was the one spot on my dream North Loop redo that I couldn't quite figure out how to do, so I left it as-is. Should have just eliminated them altogether instead of trying to reconcile the vertical clearance issues.

[mplsjaromir]

Some extremely good stuff in this article:

Good Stuff

[SurlyLHT]

Like many on here, I’m not a huge fan of interstates and how they divide the urban landscape. An idea I’ve had that’s between a cap and the status quo is to work some of the excess MnDot land back into the city by developing it.

For example through North Minneapolis why not take the majority of the land between the roadway and Washington Ave and build on it with buildings facing Washington? Or take the land around the Washington Ave and 3rd St and open it for development? There is also space along 94 in St. Paul with the development facing the city.
I presume red-tape and etc. would limit the potential here, but this seems better than the status quo. This is just an idea. I've put some screen-snips of spaces where I see some potential.

C.JPG

B.JPG

A.JPG

[mattaudio]

Queue a re-post of the mister.shoes fantasy map to re-grid Downtown East to Cedar Riverside.

[mister.shoes]

Nah. Let's do froggie's instead.

But if you insist, here's mine.

[MattW]

Those fantasy maps are great, but one thing I think they miss is the length off ramps require to be safe. The very lowest threshold in the city is from 35W to 4th st and University ave. Those ramps are so short, cars come screaming off the freeway and need to slam on the brakes. Super unsafe for all users. Wish there was something the city/county/state/feds could do about it.

[UrsusUrbanicus]

Those fantasy maps are great, but one thing I think they miss is the length off ramps require to be safe. The very lowest threshold in the city is from 35W to 4th st and University ave. Those ramps are so short, cars come screaming off the freeway and need to slam on the brakes. Super unsafe for all users. Wish there was something the city/county/state/feds could do about it.

I have no materials engineering knowledge, so forgive me if this sounds silly or dumb... but is there a high-friction road construction material that would be capable of significantly aiding deceleration without causing excessive wear to tires?

[min-chi-cbus]

Those fantasy maps are great, but one thing I think they miss is the length off ramps require to be safe. The very lowest threshold in the city is from 35W to 4th st and University ave. Those ramps are so short, cars come screaming off the freeway and need to slam on the brakes. Super unsafe for all users. Wish there was something the city/county/state/feds could do about it.

I have no materials engineering knowledge, so forgive me if this sounds silly or dumb... but is there a high-friction road construction material that would be capable of significantly aiding deceleration without causing excessive wear to tires?

Rumble strips do/promote this kind of thing, but they’re obviously loud to anyone living adjacent to where they’re placed.

[John21]

How the Federal Government Could Help Kill the Highways It Built

As Streetsblog reported on Jan. 11, the Economic Justice Act, a spending package worth over $435 billion, includes a $10 billion pilot program that would provide funds for communities to examine transit infrastructure that has divided them along racial and economic lines and potentially alter or remove them. It would also help pay for plans to redevelop reclaimed land. The program contains specific language requiring projects funded through it prioritize equity and avoid displacement. It also provides grants meant to facilitate community engagement and participation as well as construction.