Street, Road and Highway Projects

[Korh]

Kind of a dumb question but has anyone else noticed some kind of red and white windmill on a few road signs recently and does anyone know what they are?
I saw one by my house on a walk and didn't see any wiring or antenna so I don't think it's a sensor.
Is it literally just some cheap gimmick someone thought of thinking a moving object in a driver's pov might get them to notice the sign it's attached to.

[HuskyGrad]

Kind of a dumb question but has anyone else noticed some kind of red and white windmill on a few road signs recently and does anyone know what they are?
I saw one by my house on a walk and didn't see any wiring or antenna so I don't think it's a sensor.
Is it literally just some cheap gimmick someone thought of thinking a moving object in a driver's pov might get them to notice the sign it's attached to.

Yes. That is what they are.

[COLSLAW5]

Man just venting, but they are planning to replace the road deck on the Nicollet Ave bridge over the Minnehaha creek. As part of this they are putting the bike lane behind a raised curb like on the 10th ave bridge. The problem here is they said that the bridge can't handle the load of an elevated sidewalk so the driving surface the bike lane and the sidewalk are all at the same elevation.

With this, the bike lane and the road enter at the same elevation making it not unreasonable that cars can either split the raised median or since there is a driveway at the north end there is going to be a 26 foot gap presenting itself as another driving lane as cars come speeding down the hill.

I am really happy this is getting some form of bike protection but the lack of any delineation between the "pedestrian area" and the "bike area" is unfortunate and the entry points to these areas seem downright dangerous.

o and they are also getting rid of the stairs down to the parkway as well.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pQgN9krrbkDyszG19
https://photos.app.goo.gl/m2d4iAguv9GRPpeB8

[MNdible]

OK, also just venting.

They've installed new speedbumps in Whittier. To force drivers to follow the speed limit, which is 20 mph. But the speedbumps are so aggressive that you really have to slow down to 10 mph, or risk car damage. So then people are accelerating, slamming on their brakes, and accelerating. Are we not able to design a speedbump that is traversable at the posted speed limit?

[PhilmerPhil]

Yeah the new speed bumps are awful, and they're all over town. It used to be so chill using side streets to bike across the city through the neighborhoods, but now every few blocks you're interrupted by cargo rattling speed bumps. Even worse, in areas like Whittier where there's a decent amount of traffic, you end up stuck behind the vehicles that are braking down to like 5MPH to navigate the speed bumps. So these have really been bad for side street biking, which has always been one of the joys of riding around Minneapolis. I hate them.

[Wezle]

I wish the city would put more into discouraging through traffic with modal filters rather than speed bumps. A few well placed modal filters on streets like Bryant north of Lake Street and other bike boulevards would do so much for making them pleasant streets for cycling.

[daveybabymsp]

I wish the city would put more into discouraging through traffic with modal filters rather than speed bumps. A few well placed modal filters on streets like Bryant north of Lake Street and other bike boulevards would do so much for making them pleasant streets for cycling.

They really should put modal filters on the streets that cross the greenway west of Hennepin

[thespeedmccool]

Ramsey County's Pennsylvania Avenue concepts are out here.

All options eliminate the freeway-stubness of the road, but only one eliminates the grade separation. All options include provisions for the Purple (Bronze?) Line.

I wonder if bus lanes + roundabouts is a workable concept for a lot of drivers. Seems like it could be doubly confusing, but also drivers should have to learn to use whatever gets built.

[Tcmetro]

Those options look nice and I like the idea of Option 2 raising the intersection. I think it would also be a good idea to reconnect those three side streets to Pennsylvania Ave but looks like not considered in any option.

[MNdible]

In the council actions for the 1st Avenue South reconstruction, there's this resolution about an abandoned underground tunnel. Why in the world would Westminster Pres have a pedestrian tunnel at 19th and 1st?

...the City Council hereby revokes and rescinds the permission granted by the November 8, 1963 Resolution granting permission to the Trustees of the Westminster Presbyterian Church to encroach under 1st Ave S and E 19th St to build a pedestrian tunnel and areaway.

[quagga]

Abbott Hospital was under the umbrella of Westminster. The parking lot at the southwest corner of 18th and 1st was previously the Homestead Nursing Home. Abbott built a tunnel to connect them when they purchased the nursing home in 1963.

[Anondson]

Was it some Cold War era project to with regard to bomb shelters or linking shelters?

[MNdible]

Abbott Hospital was under the umbrella of Westminster. The parking lot at the southwest corner of 18th and 1st was previously the Homestead Nursing Home. Abbott built a tunnel to connect them when they purchased the nursing home in 1963.

That makes sense -- so is it just a misprint saying 1st Ave S and E 19th St?

[quagga]

That makes sense -- so is it just a misprint saying 1st Ave S and E 19th St?

Presumably. But then the current item is "including, but not limited to" that 1963 resolution, so who knows?

[Rube Dali]

They still haven't reopened Robert Street yet, haven't they? I know that Rice Street just reopened for winter. But are they still doing Robert Street?

[LyndaleHoosier]

Ramsey County's Pennsylvania Avenue concepts are out here.

All options eliminate the freeway-stubness of the road, but only one eliminates the grade separation. All options include provisions for the Purple (Bronze?) Line.

I wonder if bus lanes + roundabouts is a workable concept for a lot of drivers. Seems like it could be doubly confusing, but also drivers should have to learn to use whatever gets built.

Anyone know why Pennsylvania was built out with the freeway-stubness? Always been curious if there was supposed to be something more built out there or not.

[Mdcastle]

Same reason why there was that short expressway section with that ghost interchange of what used to be 5 by 694. There were plans to connect the two with a freeway / expressway section mainly in the railroad corridor where Phalen Blvd is now, then an expressway continuing west along Como / the railroad corridor along Energy Park Drive to 35W, with a connection along Lexington.

[Hamstirly]

Wow, that area by Como park is really sleepy. Hard to imagine a freeway bulldozed through.

[Anondson]

MNDOT project for 280 confirms intent to close left turn into Broadway as part of project.

https://content.govdelivery.com/account ... ns/3df5b61

[COLSLAW5]

With the 94 boulevard conversion now off the table is there going to be revived talks for capping the freeway again?