urbanMSP

I'd probably just chalk it up to uncertainty. Most of the projects approved in 2020 had probably been in the pipeline for a year or so already. Developers likely shelved more than a few projects last year thanks to the pandemic. They'll come back. The Twin Cities still have great vitals. If rising c...

I'll start by saying that I don't think there is yet a thread to discuss Saint Paul's 17 district councils or other hyperlocal governments. They don't get as much attention as their Minneapolis counterparts, but they come up occasionally and are highly involved with things like road reconstructions,...

I mean, would it be the worst thing in the world for this to just end at North Memorial? It would be a massive waste of money and time to elevate along 81, especially when appetite for LRT is pretty low (see growing discontent with how Southwest has played out.) At this point, let's not burn politic...

Under Minnesota law, cities become "Class A" once they cross 100,000 people. It's a designation they retain unless they drop below 80,000.

I would definitely go for the 2 general traffic lanes + 1 MNPass lane approach, and leave it there. There is good reason to believe that a six-lane highway reduces traffic versus a four-lane highway, but that anything above six lanes is just inducing extra demand.

As for 55 BRT, I believe Metro Transit received grant money to start a precursor limited stop route to Plymouth. 55 seems like a weak corridor but it probably deserves some level of bus service, so it will be nice to see how that works out. I believe the state's transportation omnibus bill included...

That article is pretty scathing. More confirmation that the Kenilworth alignment was a massive mistake, and one we'll probably never get a chance to undo. The article also brings up fears for me of this getting mothballed partway through construction. If a less transit-receptive Hennepin County boar...

As others mentioned, the threshold for departing from grade seems to be less in the suburbs than in the city, which is backwards. I can only think this has to do with cities' policies toward these things. Minneapolis has (supposedly) deprioritized driving lanes, so taking from car space is more pal...

I think Alex is also ignoring the importance of serving Anoka County (and Fridley, Spring Lake Park and Blaine), in the sense of securing political support from around the region. This is so important. Transit cannot become something "the others" need. I respect the need to serve South Mi...

Honestly, I think Republicans don't even really know what they're funding. They frame literally all transportation options with relation to the advantages of cars, so anything communal or fixed is anywhere from "a fine option for the poors" to "Marxism on rails" in their eyes. Th...

Maybe I just don't know, but this seems like a very quick turnaround for adding extra service. This route started on 6/12.

Is this a sign that it's successful already? Honestly, I didn't expect local bus to Woodbury to be a success.

Funny set of results that defy any clear cut narrative. As a non-Minneapolitan, this seems to be the most reasonable sum up of the results. Anyone trying to spin a narrative can find something they like here. I'm thinking the DFL will fail to endorse anyone in the mayor's race (I'm imagining Frey h...

The mayor of Robbinsdale mentioned during the Corridor Management Committee meeting today that he doesn't think the current city council will vote to give municipal consent to the Blue Line Extension. They want to re-engage BNSF and put the alignment back in the rail corridor so the train doesn't &...

Something I cannot stand in all politics (especially local politics) is the refusal to take actions and words at their face value. This essay reeks of conspiracy theorizing and dishonesty. Frey and his allies don't want to gentrify GFS and don't have any intentions of brushing Floyd's murder under t...

For all its flaws, the Gold Line has made the cut in President Biden's proposed 2022 budget. $100 million appropriated out of $239 million expected from the feds. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/minnesota-transit-projects-included-in-biden-budget/ar-AAKDD8O?ocid=BingNewsSearch The project is now r...

Looks like they were downgraded? FTA rating for Blue Line light rail extension 'under review https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2021/06/01/fta-rating-blue-line-extension-under-review.html (Paywall) Not really a downgrade according to the article, just a status change since the route alignm...

Looks like they're getting started on connecting the skyway from the library to 365 Nicollet, which I suppose is the final confirmation that 301 Nicollet is dead, in its current form at least. I don't see why that would mean 301 is dead. Per https://thedevelopmenttracker.com/mpls/news/opus-plans-20...

I skimmed it and didn't find anything extremely offensive, but I'm certainly suspicious of its motives. It's extremely focused on light rail. What problem is this trying to solve? One of the authors, DFLer Karla Bigham, was a county commissioner in Washington County and frequently complains about M...