26th / 28th Streets in South Minneapolis

[PhilmerPhil]

According to Lisa Bender's Facebook page, this project has now been extended all the way to Hennepin Ave. Originally it was just slated to go from Hiawatha to Portland.

[mattaudio]

I wonder how much it would be for them to add stoplights on for (hypothetical) eastbound traffic on 26th.

[Mdcastle]

It's hard to say. Building a new signal from scratch with contractors with all new equipment on suburban stroads can be $150,000-$200,000. But Minneapolis does a lot with city labor and salvaged materials, and have narrower streets and few actuated intersections and we're talking about the incremental cost to add another direction. My guess is in the low 5 figures for each light. A plastic signal face with the LEDs is less than a grand, but you'd have to build an overhead mast for the other direction.

[FranklinAveFixation]

Was ecstatic today when I left my apartment on Blaisdell Ave. and saw the stoplights on 28th & Blaisdell had vanished!
Replaced with stop signs on both 28th Ave. & Blaisdell Ave.
Does anyone know if this is permanent? The stop signs were obviously of the temporary kind, not planted in the ground, so I'm guessing this is too good to be true.
Replacing the lights with stop signs does wonders to improve the pedestrian experience at this intersection!
If you live on my block you are well aware that cars traveling south on Blaisdell, if they make the green light at 26th, often travel at speeds exceeding 50 MPH trying to make the green at 28th.
If not permanent I definitely have an issue/topic to bring to the Whittier Alliance meetings whenever I get around to attending one.

Added bonus, one more stop sign for us bicyclists to blow through..

[mattaudio]

That's usually what happens when they replace stoplights. I wish I could say it was permanent, but I doubt it.

[Mdcastle]

Another 1940- early 1950s relic bites the dust. I asked the city of MInneapolis if I could buy them, and they (at least engineer in charge of the signal retiming project) said forget it.

[versitalex]

As someone who occasionally rides a bike on Blaisdell, the stop sign at 28th and Blaisdell was in the way of the bike lane but otherwise did a great job at calming traffic at the intersection of two busy one way streets. I'm not sure how this might've affected traffic throughput, but I don't think traffic ever backed up to 25th.

[versitalex]

Also, from the city of Minneapolis:

26th & 28th Streets Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements Open House

Do you walk, bicycle, drive, or catch the bus on 26th Street or 28th Street? Minneapolis Public Works is planning bicycle and pedestrian improvements in 2015. Community members are invited to tell us what’s important about these streets and comment on the design concepts. The first of three open houses will take place on July 14, 2014. Details are listed below and a meeting flyer is attached.

What: 26th & 28th Streets Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements Open House
When: July 14, 2014, 6-8 pm
Where: American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Ave. S, Mpls.

The meeting location is wheelchair accessible. If you have questions or need other accommodations, please call 311.

Can’t make the meeting? Share comments starting next week at http://bikeandwalkmpls.mindmixer.com

Additional open houses will occur as part of this project:

July 14: Learn about the project and share your ideas and concerns
Aug. 6: Review concept designs of bicycle and pedestrian improvements
Aug. 27: Final input on concept designs

[mattaudio]

Is there a reason why the MindMixer is not active yet?

[twincitizen]

First open house tonight at American Swedish Institute, 6-8pm: http://content.govdelivery.com/attachme ... BFlyer.pdf

[streets.mn]

Ideas to Make 26th and 28th Streets Work for People https://streets.mn/2014/07/14/ideas-to-m ... or-people/

[David Greene]

Ideas to Make 26th and 28th Streets Work for People https://streets.mn/2014/07/14/ideas-to-m ... or-people/

My comment there:

Any two-way conversion should add parking along both sides of 26th/28th to create a buffer zone for pedestrians. It’s a horrible experience to walk along those streets.

The hard part about crossing 26th in the Wedge west of Bryant is that speeding traffic crests over a hill around Bryant/Colfax. Pedestrians can’t see what’s coming. I believe that’s one of the reasons the stoplights at Dupont/Emerson exist (the school being the primary driver at Emerson). It’s actually quite a bit easier to cross 28th due to better sightlines. But I think people tend to speed more along 28th because it is so wide for the smallish amount of traffic it handles.

The power lines along 28th mutilate the trees so badly that there basically is no canopy there. I’d like to see something done about that but of course burying the lines is a long way off.

[froggie]

My reply to your comment there:

David, because of street widths, it will be impossible to do a 2-way conversion and have both bike facilities and on-street parking on both sides west of Lyndale (and west of Blaisdell along 28th). See the map I just posted to get an idea on street widths.

The map I'm referring to is below. I created it so that people would have an idea what the street widths are that we're dealing with:

[David Greene]

My reply to your comment there:

David, because of street widths, it will be impossible to do a 2-way conversion and have both bike facilities and on-street parking on both sides west of Lyndale (and west of Blaisdell along 28th). See the map I just posted to get an idea on street widths.

But I didn't hear that there was a call for on-street bike facilities there, at least not in the Wedge.

[David Greene]

There's another problem with 26th/28th in the Wedge (and probably elsewhere, but I can't speak to it). It'd damn near impossible for a driver on a cross street to see the traffic coming toward the intersection. This is primarily because people park too close to the intersections and alleys (which is why I believe enforcement of that rule seems stronger in the Wedge). You pretty much have to stick you car's nose into the lane to be able to see what's happening. I know I feel a cold sweat when Julian's in the back seat and I have to guess when it is safe to proceed.

[David Greene]

Who else is going tonight? The neighborhood groups came up with a pretty good starter plan. I'm going to advocate for it tonight.

[David Greene]

This is primarily because people park too close to the intersections and alleys (which is why I believe enforcement of that rule seems stronger in the Wedge).

Heh, just saw another car tagged at 27th & Fremont.

[twincitizen]

There's another problem with 26th/28th in the Wedge (and probably elsewhere, but I can't speak to it). It'd damn near impossible for a driver on a cross street to see the traffic coming toward the intersection. This is primarily because people park too close to the intersections and alleys (which is why I believe enforcement of that rule seems stronger in the Wedge).

Absolutely need stronger enforcement in neighborhoods like the Wedge & parts of Whittier that are choked with parked cars. I think the plastic bollard bump-outs, like the ones we've seen along 31st St could be a big help with the visibility issue. Besides traffic calming, intersection visibility is probably my 2nd biggest concern (yes, above dedicated bicycle infrastructure...people will bike on streets that are calm and safe). Given the limited scope and budget of this project, getting any plastic bollards is going to be a stretch, but I'd love to see some installed at certain intersections (no idea which ones).

Another idea that didn't make it into the article was taking away the "green wave" of lights that cars currently get on these streets, which allows the undesirable speeds of 35-45MPH that you frequently witness on these streets. Seeing as how these streets don't carry bus routes (other than the very limited 27), I'd rather have the north-south streets have longer green lights anyways. Maybe we can introduce some 4-way stops along these streets too, instead of stoplights all the way across town.

[woofner]

I was hoping that the four-way stop at 28th & Blaisdell was a trial period rather than just a temporary accommodation of the signal there, but it seems not to have been.

[David Greene]

Another idea that didn't make it into the article was taking away the "green wave" of lights that cars currently get on these streets, which allows the undesirable speeds of 35-45MPH that you frequently witness on these streets. Seeing as how these streets don't carry bus routes (other than the very limited 27), I'd rather have the north-south streets have longer green lights anyways. Maybe we can introduce some 4-way stops along these streets too, instead of stoplights all the way across town.

Yes. I'd say as much as currently possible, remove stoplights or replace them with stop signs. Blaisdell, Nicollet, 1st, Park, Portand, Chicago, etc. should be through streets with no stop signs (stop signs only on 26th/28th at these intersections).