With all due respect to Chris, I believe he is mistaken on two points. I haven't looked at the I-35E settlement since earlier this year, (since 60 Speed Wilkin wanted to increase the speed limit), but I do not believe that a direct connection between I-94 eastbound to I-35 southbound and likewise I-35E Northbound into I-94 westbound is banned under the settlement. From what I understand it is not now possible from an engineering point of view. I discussed these options with a D.O.T. engineer at one of the Ayd Mill Road meetings, (please do not ask me who it was, as I don't recall), but he said that to build a ramp from eastbound I-94 to I-35 is too much of a drop.
I personally walked it later, and deemed it would be possible, IF THE STATE WERE TO TUNNEL UNDER THE HISTORY CENTER or DEMOLISH THE HISTORY CENTER FOR A RAMP. The second point Chris raises is NIMBY or Not in My Backyard. This is not just me speaking. The 35E settlement was negotiated, in Federal Court, a decade before I moved to Summit Hill. We simply would be assuring that a previous Federal Court settlement is being enforced. What would be the good of Federal settlements, or any settlement, if it could be set aside as soon as the people who negotiated it, died off or public/institutional memory forgot about it. The settlement was negotiated to allow the highway to be built in the first place. The other option was no highway at all. It was a fair and reasonable settlement then and I would argue that suburbanites certainly got the better part of the deal. Just try driving 45 in the left land at any time. Just the other day I drove 50 in the left lane parallel with a school bus and had a woman in a large SUV tailgate me, repeatedly honk her horn and then give me the finger, all because I didn't want to exceed the speed limit by as much as she wanted to exceed it. I used to argue that Norm and Randy could pay for a new Twins Stadium by just rigidly enforcing the speed limit on 35E. But that might p.o. to many suburban voters and you can't do that if . . . Dan Dobson Summit Hill - Saint Paul [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- Chris Boylan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Any attempt to raise the speed limit or introduce > > large trucks on this portion of 35E would be met > > forcefully with legal action, in Federal Court, to > > enforce the original agreement. > > > > And that's our traffic problem in a nutshell - not > in my backyard. > How are we going to deal with this? > > No offense to our neighbors in Summit-Hill but that > traffic has to go > somewhere and because government rolled over as part > of this settlement > that means Snelling, Ayd Mill road (Selby), > Lexington and W 7th get this > spill over freeway traffic because those cars are > NOT going away, they > are just going somewhere else. > > While I personally think trucks on 35E would be bad > and raising the speed > limit probably pointless at this point [45MPH in > rush hour? Don't you > wish?], I believe the settlement also prohibited a > direct east-bound 94 > to south bound 35E connection and therefore > something in excessive of > 25,000 cars wander through the W. 7th and Lexington > areas to connect. > > Someone correct me if I remember the settlement > terms incorrectly or the > car count wrong. > > Doesn't $3.99 gasoline sound like a good idea? > > Chris Boylan > Mac-Groveland & Downtown > > > _____________________________________________ > To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > _____________________________________________ > NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your > password - visit: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul > > Archive Address: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ > _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
