Would crossing 94 really get easier if it were at-grade, though? Today, you can already cross it every other block, and I highly doubt MNDOT or anyone is imagining that a Twin Cities Boulevard would have at-grade pedestrian crossings or pedestrian bridges every block.Just because MnDOT is showing "at-grade" to look like Hiawatha, doesn't mean that's the actual, good-faith best realistic scenario for the boulevard. Crossing distances would be a fraction of what they are now for bike/ped, and the roadway being narrowed would allow potentially hundreds of prime acres to be freed up for development. A good faith representation of at-grade would be far more appealing than the bland, almost stroad-like rendering that MnDOT seems to be peddling.
It's worth pointing out that from Mackubin to Fairview, 94 is actually pretty narrow, only one block wide. There's actually not that much developable land freed up by an at-grade boulevard, and even less economically usable land if you're imagining the boulevard running through the middle of the block. It's a substantial amount when you consider the sheer length of the corridor, but I don't know if 100-foot-wide lots along a stroad are that desirable, or the kind of land that will truly transform neighborhoods. Urban freeway removals are probably most worthwhile from a land-development standpoint when they involve removing large interchanges and spaghetti junctions that cut diagonally across downtowns, and probably least worthwhile in exactly this instance.
And, again, there is a 0% chance that an at-grade option would be built like a quiet, pleasant boulevard like us urbanists might envision. It would be an awful, unpleasant eyesore, still cutting straight through the heart of the city. Frankly, I think the renderings MNDOT put together of the at-grade option are a rosy idea of what they could actually build. Realistically, they would probably find reasons to expand it from four to six lanes and then add in turn lanes, slip lanes, and other such driver-centric features until it looks a lot more like Hiawatha than even the current concept does. I'm imagining a dreadful stretch of unmanicured grass medians, with little-to-no public artwork or character (like we might expect of city-built roads) and disappointingly sparse public and active transportation options. This rendering is probably as good as it gets.
I think I'd be more easily sold on a full removal, honestly. Would it be a political nightmare and make getting into St. Paul substantially harder for many? Yes, but at least we'd be getting an honest-to-goodness improvement for at least some stakeholders. I really don't see how the boulevard is a substantial improvement for anyone, and much less one substantial enough to justify the wild political costs of pursuing it further. Even dedicating a lane to BRT on an expanded freeway would have people piping mad. Let's be serious and temper our expectations for what MNDOT is willing and able to do.
