RE: [Winona] 10 Million $$ for an underpass?

[john finn]

[Winona Online Democracy]

From: Sebo Subject: Re: [Winona] 10 Million $$ for an underpass?   “I am an old man who has lived in Winona most of his life...I can say without equivocation that a Huff Street underpass is worth ten million dollars...even without accomodating some commercial traffic.  ……… “   Responding:     I don’t think an underpass at Huff, other than for bicycles and pedestrians with enough room for a low profile emergency vehicle (station wagon) is needed. But then I don’t drive around enough to be bothered by the trains. Maybe if train traffic greatly increases we’ll be glad that it’s there. That’s not for sure since the DM&E now owns tracks through Iowa that would be a more direct route for the coal they hope to haul.   Anyway, suppose that the underpass is so popular that drivers choose that crossing over those from Mankato to Main Street and beyond to the West End? So where will the new bottlenecks be, and do we then make more intersection improvements, widen various streets, and build pedestrian bridges over Huff for the WSU students?   I don’t think the underpass will be all that much of a traffic draw, especially if the Louisa rail road overpass is built along with a direct connection to it from Hwy 43 along the creek behind the Holiday Inn. That project, last I heard, will be the top priority for the half-cent sales tax funds. It’s my understanding the Mankato motorists experience daytime delays due to slow switching trains and wait in traffic jams at Hwy 61. The Louisa project would relieve that while also opening up the possibility of a new route through town for Hwy 43 to the river bridge. Taking 43 off Main Street could allow diagonal parking by WSU and elsewhere, but finding a route through the East End and linking up to the river bridge downtown would be a problem. Someone thought just send the traffic down Second Street. So what to do about getting trucks from Second and Huff to the bridge entrance? There’s already frequent rush hour jams by the YMCA.   Is there any point in trying to plan ahead for all this, or should we just wait and deal with things as they arise?     John N. Finn

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