Editor's note: This is the first of a two-part series on the Minnesota Department of Transportation's four-year plan for roads.
It looks like the big construction project on Interstate 35W south of downtown Minneapolis is going to move to the north side of the metro in 2019. It's their turn to have the headache.
Still, in the south metro, work is expected to continue on the I-35W bridge over the Minnesota River next construction season.
MnDOT's four-year plan for construction projects gives the public clues to what's planned for the 2019 construction season and beyond. The document — called the State Transportation Improvement Program 2019-2022, or STIP — allows state and local officials to keep track of what's in line for work and funding. Naturally, nothing with public money tied to it really becomes official until the Minnesota Legislature says it is.
So everything is only tentative.
Chaska and Norwood Young America could get roundabouts. Wayzata is in line for a new bridge over U.S. Highway 12. A new junction on U.S. Highway 212 is planned for Cologne. Scott County Road 42 work finished in November, but expect road closures just down the street on Dakota County Road 42 next year.
Minnesota Highway 13 south from Prior Lake is in line for construction. So is Minnesota Highway 21 south from Jordan. Though there is new pavement from last summer, orange signs are to return to Minnesota Highway 62 (the Crosstown) in Eden Prairie and Edina, plus some additional work to that route over by the airport. France Avenue in Edina and Bloomington is supposed to get work, too.
Sunset Pond Park in Burnsville is slated to get some trail pavement, and Carlson Parkway in Minnetonka and Flying Cloud Drive in Eden Prairie might get the green light for new stoplights.
STIP is generally divided into two parts: next year and the other three years. (We will look at the other three years next week.) The projects for the first year are less likely to change in priority than ones set for the other three years. By remaining stuck in the other-three-years portion, a project conceivably could languish in STIP for more than four years.
Check out the listings to see MnDOT plans for 2019.
Read this first to understand the listings
Listed below are the 2019 STIP projects pertinent to the southwest metro and somewhat nearby. The actual STIP document lists the entire state. Tossed in below is the major construction on I-35W in the north metro, just in case folks plan on going to Forest Lake or even Duluth next summer.
The listings show dollar figures. They all are estimates of construction costs — not actual costs. They usually do not include project development, right-of-ways or work-order changes made during the construction.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation manages federal dollars for highway construction, and that is lumped as "fed" below. The STIP document actually delineates it by source: Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration or AC for "advance construction," an estimate of federal funds expected to be paid back to the state in future years.
State dollars generally come from the trunk highway fund or bonding.
Where relevant, the listing says the local partner agency, like a city or county. In other places, STIP merely describes "other." Where it says "other," it means a city or county is tossing in funding for a portion of the project.
When the listings say ADA, that means Americans with Disabilities Act and pretty much means constructing wheelchair-friendly amenities.
The projects are listed in the sequence found in the STIP document:
2019 STIP projects
- Upgrade signal, Twin Cities & Western Railroad and Valley View Road, Eden Prairie; fed: $5,000, state: $270,000.
- Upgrade signal, Twin Cities & Western Railroad and Birch Island Road, Eden Prairie; fed: $5,000, state: $245,000.
- Upgrade signal, Twin Cities & Western Railroad and W. 62nd St., Eden Prairie; fed: $5,000, state: $270,000.
- Install gates, Union Pacific Railway and Stagecoach Road, Shakopee; fed: $270,000, state: $30,000.
- Improve 1.9 miles of regional trail, along Minnesota Highway 5 from Minnewashta Parkway in Victoria to Century Boulevard in Chanhassen; fed: $1,192,147, Carver County: $1,042,853.
- Install warning lights for two U.S. Highway 212 intersections: Carver County 34 in Norwood Young America and Carver County 43 in Dahlgren Township; fed: $273,618, Carver County: $30,402.
- Construct roundabout at Carver County 33 and 34 in Norwood Young America; fed: $1,516,709.
- Mill and overlay, ADA improvements, 2.1 miles of Dakota County 42 from 5 and 11, Burnsville; fed: $1,440,000, Dakota County: $360,000
- Reconstruct pedestrian island in median of intersection of Hennepin County 3 and 25 (Excelsior Boulevard and West Lake Street) in Minneapolis; fed: $706,160, Hennepin County: $283,840.
- Reconstruct intersection and turn lanes, replace signal at Hennepin County 15 and 19 in Orono; fed: $656,100; Hennepin County: $971,900.
- Replace ramp signals, remove free right turn, construct additional left turn storage, reconstruct pavement, flashing yellow arrow and blue lights for a third mile on Hennepin County 17 (France Avenue) from County 53 (West 66th Street) to Highway 62 in Edina; fed: $1,020,600; Hennepin County: $854,400.
- Construct bituminous trail, ADA curb ramps, retaining walls and boardwalk for 2.9 miles on France Avenue from Old Shakopee Road to West 84th Street in Bloomington; fed: $2,803,313, Bloomington: $1,132,087.
- Construct off-road multi-use paved trail for 0.97 miles of Lake Marion Greenway in Burnsville from Sunset Pond Park to West Burnsville Parkway; fed: $1,598,400, Burnsville: $399,600.
- Install landscaping for 1.16 miles of Highway 41 in Chaska from 0.14 miles north of U.S. Highway 212 to 0.3 miles north of Pioneer Trail; state: $125,000.
- Construct roundabout on Highway 41 (Chestnut Street) at Carver County 18 (Lyman Boulevard) in Chaska; state: $710,000.
- Associated costs and right-of-way acquisition for Highway 41-Carver 18 roundabout in Chaska; state: $1,500,000.
- Construct reduced-conflict intersection on U.S. Highway 212 at Carver County 41 in Benton Township, close Carver County 36 junction in Dahlgren Township (both junctions are east of Cologne); fed: $972,000, state: $108,000.
- Replace bridge on I-35W over Minnesota River and from Cliff Road to 106th Street, pavement reconstruction, auxiliary lanes, retaining wall, noise wall, signing, lighting, trails, drainage and guard rail; fed: $20,174,000.
- Replace bridge on I-35W over Minnesota River, and from Cliff Road to 106th Street, design build activities; state: $3,409,000.
- Build high-occupancy-vehicle bypass lane for 0.21 miles on northbound I-35W near Burnsville Parkway; state: $330,000, other: $160,000.
- Replace signs and panels on U.S. Highway 12 from Maple Plain to I-494 interchange in Minnetonka; state: $400,000.
- Replace signals and improve ADA status on U.S. Highway 12 interchange with Carlson Parkway (at Deer Creek Parkway and at Oakland Road) in Minnetonka; state: $232,000.
- Repair bridge and approach panels, concrete pavement, signals, lighting and ADA of Central Avenue bridge in Wayzata over U.S. Highway 12; fed: $1,720,000, state: $430,200, Hennepin County: $1,866,000.
- Replace signs on 11.31 miles of Highway 55 from Old Rockford Road in Plymouth to Minneapolis city limits; state: $500,000.
- Repair retaining wall along 0.17 miles of Highway 55 at Highway 100 in Golden Valley; state: $318,000.
- Rehab retaining wall and repair drainage on Highway 100 northbound exit ramp to 50th Street in Edina; state: $350,000.
- Mill and overlay, repair fence, install curb and gutter, ADA, on 4.51 miles of Highway 62 from Beach Road to under Tracy Avenue bridge in Edina and on U.S. Highway 212 for .1 miles south of 62 in Eden Prairie; fed: $5,355,760, state: $1,338,940.
- Redeck bridge for France Avenue over Highway 62 in Edina and widen ramp; fed: $1,744,480, state: $436,120.
- Construct parallel acceleration lane at eastbound entrance ramp from France Avenue to Highway 62 in Edina; fed: $515,160, state: $57,240.
- Mill and overlay 1.84 miles of Highway 62 from Portland Avenue to 28th Avenue in Minneapolis; fed: $823,922, state: $205,981.
- Mill and overlay, repair drainage and pipes, ADA, for 1.56 miles of I-35W from Portland Avenue to Washington Avenue in Minneapolis; fed: $2,045,700, state: $227,300.
- Replace MnPass signs for 14.72 miles on I-35W from Crystal Lake Road in Burnsville to 42nd Street in Minneapolis; state: $500,000.
- Mill and overlay, ADA for 4.65 miles of I-35W from Fourth Street in Minneapolis to Rosegate in Roseville; fed: $16,384,944, state: $1,820,549, other: $1,019,272.
- Redeck bridge on Hennepin County Road 9 (Rockford Road) over I-494 in Plymouth, repair approaches, mill and overlay pavement, signals, drainage, ADA, add turn lanes on ramps; state: $4,860,000.
- Landscape 8.14 miles on I-494 from I-394 in Minnetonka to I-94/694 interchange in Maple Grove; state: $170,000.
- Replace signals at ramp intersections of Hennepin County 61 (Flying Cloud Drive) bridge over I-494 in Eden Prairie, reconstruct trail adjacent to bridge for .05 mile; state: $273,000, other: $345,000.
- Landscape 8.14 miles on I-494 from I-394 in Minnetonka to I-94/694 interchange in Maple Grove; state: $130,000.
- Repair four bridges on I-394 in Minneapolis: one over Dunwoody Boulevard, two on-ramp bridges, one off-ramp bridge; state: $2,887,000.
- Construct MnPass lane from Ramsey County Road C in Roseville to Lexington Avenue in Lexington; also from Ramsey B2 to Anoka 53 for 12.7 miles pavement reconstruction in places, rehab 17 bridges, replace five bridges, add auxiliary lanes, noise walls; also construct auxiliary lane and noise wall on U.S. Highway 10 for .7 miles; fed: $169,650,000, state: $18,850,000, other: $500,000.
- Work on utilities and railroads, from Ramsey B2 to Anoka 53 for 12.7 miles; state: $2,120,000.
- Recondition and rehab concrete median, drainage, turn lanes, ADA for 14.21 miles of Highway 13 from Highway 19 in Cedar Lake Township to .3 miles south of Eagle Creek Avenue in Prior Lake and install new trail and signal at Highway 13 and Scott County Road 12; fed: $7,566,400, state: $1,891,600, other: $300,000.
- Construct second left turn lane and new right turn lane for a quarter mile along Highway 13, northbound and southbound at Scott County 21 (Eagle Creek Avenue) in Prior Lake, relocate Pleasant Street intersection to the south, replace signals, ADA; state: $1,305,000.
- Restore concrete, bituminous overlay, turn lanes, sign replacement, ADA, drainage on Highway 21 from Highway 19 in New Prague to U.S. Highway 169 in Jordan; fed: $4,648,000, state: $1,162,000.
- Restore and clean out ponds metrowide; fed: $1,534,400, state: $383,600.
- Replace traffic detector loops metrowide; state: $75,000.
- Remove intelligent lane control signals and install dynamic message signs statewide; fed: $360,000; state: $1,090,000.
- Replace shelters and dynamic message signs statewide; fed: 863,125, state: $215,781.
- Replace cameras and shelters metrowide; fed: $748,000, state: $307,000.
- Inspect and clean pipe and culverts metrowide; fed: $1,065,969, state: $266,492.
- Replace overhead signs metrowide; state: $2 million.
- Blowing snow metrowide; state: $500,000.
Additional funds are set aside for additional needs that come along during the construction season: ADA, bike, pedestrian projects; project completion; preventative maintenance; general road repairs; overruns and supplemental agreements; right-of-way purchases; pilot programs.