Yesterday morning I attended City Council's Transportation and Public Works (TPW) Committee meeting, only to discover that MnDot is planning an expansion of the Downtown Commons Area (I-35W, I-94, and I-394). The presentation by MnDot's Metro Division Area Manager, Tom O'Keefe, made one thing very clear: MnDot still intends to build us out of traffic congestion without explicitly planning for BRT or LRT. Toll roads and HOV lanes will be "considered."
So much for our state's attempt to address global warming and peak oil. According to O'Keefe, a "panel of experts" will decide whether we'll get "accommodation, reconstruction, or expansion" of the currently existing freeway system, tunnels, and bridges. But the devil's in the details, and the details sounded like expansion to me. MnDot wants to add traffic lanes to I-394, I-94, and I-35W. In addition, O'Keefe mentioned that they'll add MnPass lanes to the Lowry Hill tunnel, expand the connection between I-35W and westbound I-94, and re-do the I-35W Mississippi River bridge--oh, and while they're at it, they might widen it or add a "bridge segment." Will Minneapolis residents get any planning input into these major changes in our city--that is, aside from the usual workshops or PACs that function as "managed consent"? Since MnDot is footing the bill for the project, MnDot hopes to call the shots. In response to O'Keefe's presentation, TPW Chair Colvin Roy underscored the need for city, county, and state cooperation, adding the not-so-subtle threat that "hopefully, we won't need to resort to Municipal Consent." CM Zimmermann, our "Green" City Council member on TPW, managed to murmur something about the need for additional sound barriers, especially near Ventura Village. Only CM Lilligren appeared to have done his homework. Lilligren asked all the hard questions, pointing out that our regional plan should include a transit advantage, since research shows that building more roads just doesn't eliminate congestion. (If you build 'em, MORE will come.) He also asked O'Keefe for comparison data to freeways carrying the same number of vehicles per day (half a million, according to O'Keefe)--something O'Keefe should have provided to begin with. Maybe MnDot hopes to get some of that $295 billion in federal highway money just passed by the Senate (http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5408662.html). If these projects go through, however, it'll be city residents who pay the environmental and health costs. Liz McLemore Bancroft REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
