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I-35W upgrade could be delayed
published 08.24.04
online at http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4944214.html
by Laurie Blake and Rochelle Olson
Star Tribune
In a dramatic attempt to make high-speed commuter bus service
a reality on Interstate Hwy. 35W, Minneapolis is preparing to stand
in the way of one of the metro area's most highly anticipated road
construction projects.
Unless the Minnesota Department of Transportation makes a firm
commitment to include new buses, lanes and stations on I-35W as
part of rebuilding the I-35W-Crosstown Hwy. 62 commons, the city
is ready to withhold approval of the project, officials said Monday.
The Crosstown and I-35W intertwine in a common section of concrete
on the border of Richfield and Minneapolis. It is a bottleneck of
regional proportions, carrying more than 100,000 vehicles a day
headed to downtown Minneapolis, the Mall of America, Southdale,
the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, the Bloomington
strip and other points north and south.
Click to see latest designWhen it is rebuilt, the two highways
are to be separated and widened. The first design was rejected by
the Legislature in 2001 because it did not meet future traffic demand.
MnDOT finished the revised design earlier this year.
Minneapolis is arguing that the revised design for I-35W should
include transit. Express bus service would offer an alternative
to congestion and reduce car emissions, said Minneapolis Mayor R.T.
Rybak, who added: "It can be done in our lifetimes and solve
a huge problem."
If, as expected, the City Council votes to reject the design, the
next questions would be: How will MnDOT respond and will this disagreement
delay construction?
Bob McFarlin, assistant to Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau, the state's transportation
commissioner, said MnDOT is disappointed in the direction the city
is heading.
"This is a very significant regional project that addresses
congestion relief and fixes one of the most notorious bottlenecks
in the region," McFarlin said.
MnDOT objects to "the idea of the city holding up very obviously
needed highway improvements -- that are funded, in the schedule
and supported by the region -- to attempt to secure transit funding
and policy commitments that the state hasn't made yet," McFarlin
said.
I-35W buses already carry 15,000 commuter trips a day. Minneapolis
wants service that would be fast and frequent, enough to double
that number by 2020. The city envisions attractive stations, low-floor
buses and exclusive lanes that give buses an advantage during rush-hour.
Buses would run every 10 minutes or less with limited stops between
Lakeville, Burnsville, Bloomington, Richfield and Minneapolis.
The Minneapolis position will be reviewed today by the City Council's
Transportation and Public Works Committee. The full council will
vote Sept. 3 on whether to approve the revised design. State law
allows cities affected by road improvement projects to give or withhold
"municipal consent." This gives cities the power to shape
projects and puts MnDOT in the position of pleasing them to avoid
delays. How effectively Minneapolis can wield this power may depend
upon public and legislative reaction to its position.
MnDOT could initiate an appeal process as one way of resolving
differences with the city, which could take up to 90 days. But until
the city takes its vote, McFarlin declined to comment on a MnDOT
response. "There is still a lot that can happen between now
and Sept. 3," he said, adding that both sides will continue
talking.
If MnDOT and the city can't agree on plans, they could take their
differences to an appeals board, which would hold a public hearing.
The board then would make a recommendation to Molnau, who would
make the final decision.
The city also has other objections to the revised design that could
mean significant delays, McFarlin said. Every construction season
that is lost can potentially add $10 million in inflationary costs
to the project, now estimated at $212 million, he said.
City Council Member Scott Benson, who represents much of south-central
Minneapolis, said no one disputes the necessity of the project,
but unless MnDOT's plan addresses the bus service and environmental
concerns "there is no way we can give municipal consent."
He said it's a test for Molnau. "The commissioner will have
the choice of working with us ... or blustering forward and trying
to force a project that doesn't have the things we asked for."
Former state Sen. Roy Terwilliger of Edina said he is shocked that
Minneapolis would make a move that could delay the Crosstown project.
"We don't have the funding in place for the bus rapid transit.
What we don't want to do is sit on this project while we go through
that. This is a vastly improved interchange design. There has been
input and solid discussion with all types of neighborhood groups,"
Terwilliger said. "To delay the project now to try to include
bus rapid transit down the middle of it seems short-sighted and
rather parochial."
Richfield approved the plan Aug. 10, and is anxious to have the
new interchange relieve traffic on 66th Street, said public works
director Mike Eastling.
The I-35W Solutions Alliance, a coalition of cities and counties
working to improve traffic flow on I-35W, endorses high-speed bus
service on I-35W but would oppose any delay of the Crosstown project,
said Dakota County Commissioner Mike Turner, who is chairman of
the I-35W alliance.
"It's such a logjam," Turner said of the interchange.
"It affects our citizens (south of the Minnesota River) as
much as those in the city. It's been a long time coming."
-- Laurie Blake is at lblake@startribune.com.
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