Re: [Mpls] I-35W Access Project and RT Rybak

[Jeanne Massey]

In response to the interest to hear from the Mayor regarding the I-35W Access Project....   I would like to hear publically not only from the Mayor, but other officials key to the Access Project vote, including Council Members Niziolek, Lilligren and Zimmermann, and Commissioners Dorfman and McLaughlin.    I, and others opposed to the project, had the opportunity to talk with the Mayor to express our concerns about the project. We had a good and open conversation.  In short, and from my vantage point, he appears both sympathetic to the interests of Lake Street area businesses (primarily Abbott and Wells Fargo) in terms of providing better access, and to the neighborhood concerns about the project.   Our main message to the Mayor was that while full access at Lake and moving ramps to 38th St. may make some sense in theory, these changes are not worth the financial cost (now $175 million and growing), or the negative impacts they would  create in the neighborhoods.  He heard this loud and clear, but is not convinced that the I-35W project is all bad. He doesn't oppose the current proposal outright, and would like to find a compromise of sorts.    We also talked a lot about the flawed process and the fact that the PAC doesn't represent all of the voices.  The Mayor understands the various concerns about the process. We advocated for, and I think he agrees, that there is no hurry (as there is no money) to approve any proposal and that it can be revised at it goes through the city and county approval process, bringing it back out to the communities.   This is my perspective of what I hear the Mayor saying, but I would hope that he and other officials put forward their own points of view publically, even if they are not decided one way or the other.  It is helpful for the public to hear what they like and don't like about the current proposal. My guess is that most of them like some, but not all aspects of the proposal.   Further, I hope that the City and County do not vote on the proposal as is, but take it out to the impacted communities for further input and make changes according to the concerns and needs of the neighborhoods.    Below is a resolution recently passed by the Kingfield Neighborhood Association regarding the project and our vision for access and improvements in the Lake Street area.   Jeanne Massey Kingfield   Kingfield Neighborhood Association Resolution on the I-35W Access Project Adopted by the KFNA Board on March 12, 2003 Whereas the I-35W Access Project began as a small initiative and has expanded into an estimated $163 to $178 million project that includes the following components: New northbound entrance and southbound exit ramps at Lake Street Flyover northbound ramp to 28th Street Relocation of the 35th/36th Street ramps to 38th Street Reconfiguration of the 5th Avenue entrance ramp Widening of Lake Street by a minimum of two lanes in each direction in the Nicollet-Lake area New auxiliary lanes on 35W Additional lane and related improvements on the I-94 westbound flyover ramp Traffic mitigation and landscape enhancements throughout the project area Whereas there are no simple or inexpensive solution for new Lake Street area ramps; and Whereas the benefits of access and economic development of the project are unquantified, uncertain and do not justify the monetary cost and impacts of the project; and Whereas the public funds to support this project are not, and are unlikely to be, available in the foreseeable future; and Whereas there are serious public concerns about the neighborhood impacts of this project, namely: Increased traffic volume, noise and pollution in the project area and beyond, disproportionately affecting the 38th Street area with the building of new ramps in the Kingfield neighborhood and the Lake Street area in the Whittier neighborhood Widening of Lake Street Loss of 17 housing units on Second Avenue Loss of parking at the 38th and Nicollet business district Whereas there are serious public concerns regarding MN/DOT's requirement that the Access Project accommodate the creation of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-35W, which would add a new freeway lane in each direction and $45 million to the cost of the Access Project; and Whereas, the KFNA is sympathetic to and desires to find a solution to the problems underlying the Access Project, namely: Traffic volume, congestion and speed Blight at the Lake Street and the 35th/36th Street ramp areas Limited and/or difficult access from the freeway to hospitals and businesses in the Lake Street area Lack of adequate public transit in the area Whereas KFNA believes that there are less expensive solutions to these problems that are in line with the City's development and transit goals and, which can better support the population and business growth in South Minneapolis than the I-35W Access Project plan; KFNA hereby proposes the following vision and alternative recommendations for the Lake Street area: Promote transit first as a way to improve access, reduce traffic congestion and create a pedestrian friendly urban landscape in the Nicollet-Lake area and I35W corridor. Retain the existing Lake Street and 35th/36th Street ramps with no new ramp construction Widen Lake Street in each direction by one lane, which would serve as a dedicated bus lane to improve regular and limited-stop bus service on the route Convert an existing freeway lane in each direction, from 46th Street to Lake Street, to an LRT or BRT lane, in place of the proposed new HOV lanes Sustain and increase bus service on all major thoroughfares from Lake Street to 46th Street and from Lyndale Avenue to Chicago Avenue. Provide a bus stop at 46th Street to connect to I-35W express bus service. Develop a circulator bus system to transport people to the 46th Street stop. Create park and ride lots in appropriate locations on the borders of the City and provide bus service to the Lake Street area businesses. Modify the neighborhood-developed mitigation plans for the Access Project to cleanup, improve and beautify the current Lake Street and 35th/36th Street ramp without new ramp construction. Mitigation measures should minimally include: Rebuilding the I-35W Lake Street bridge with a transit station serving South Minneapolis Redeveloping the Nicollet-Lake area streetscape as a pedestrian friendly and transit oriented commercial zone Building new 35th/36th Street bridges Converting 35th and 36th Streets to two-way and redeveloping the streetscape from Lyndale Avenue to Chicago Avenue Replacing the existing soundwalls and converting the adjacent 2nd and Stevens Avenues to greenway boulevards Creating a traffic management plan for the Lake Street to 36th Street area Installing bumpouts, crosswalk treatments and other traffic calming on 1st and Blaisdell Avenues Establish a community process to bring together impacted communities and to develop a community plan for improved access to hospitals and community businesses and a redeveloped, transit-oriented, walkable and pedestrian friendly Lake Street area.