Enjoy a safe and reliable commute on MnPASS Express Lanes!

MnPASS Express Lanes offer motorists fast, safe, reliable travel between the western and southern suburbs and downtown Minneapolis. Solo drivers with a valid MnPASS account can opt to pay a toll to use the lanes. Carpools with two or more occupants, motorcycles and transit buses can use the Express Lanes free of charge.

Construction is currently underway to expand the existing MnPASS Express Lanes approximately two miles farther south on northbound I-35W giving motorists even more uninterrupted travel between southern Burnsville and downtown Minneapolis.

Tolls from solo drivers are collected electronically using a MnPASS transponder placed on the windshield behind the rearview mirror.  The correct toll is deducted from the customer’s prepaid MnPASS account each time they use the Express Lanes and pass under an antenna placed along the roadway. Toll amounts vary based on the level of congestion and are adjusted to maintain a minimum speed of 50 miles per hour in the Express Lanes. Toll violations are enforced by the Minnesota State Patrol using visual means and electronic devices.

MnPASS is easy to get and even easier to use. A new prepaid account can be opened in less than 10 minutes by logging on to www.mnpass.net or by calling the MnPASS Customer Service Center at 1-866-EZ-RIDE4 (1-866-397-4334).

*See www.mnpass.net for complete details

Downtown Businesses Share Insights with Minneapolis TMO and Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – Area small businesses told researchers that the skyrocketing costs of health care are unsustainable, even in the short term. Friday in a focus group cosponsored by the Downtown Minneapolis Transportation Management Organization (TMO) and the Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota, participants discussed a variety of topics and concerns relating to the cost and consumption of health care. The focus group included businesses like Bassford Remele, Disciplined Growth Investors, Free Spirit Publishing, The Minneapolis Foundation and Private Bank Minnesota, among others.

The focus group was one in a series of focus groups being hosted by the Alliance throughout the state. These focus group meetings are designed to help businesses express their thoughts, needs and frustrations regarding health care, and are designed to reveal the kinds of information that they seek, and how they would like to receive that information. Based upon this feedback, the Alliance will pursue opportunities to tailor information and tools to meet the needs of small and medium sized businesses.

“We know that businesses are struggling with health care – from information overload, to information clarity and options for solutions,” says Matt Hughes, Executive Director of the Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota’s Small Business Alliance. “Without question, clear options provide power. But before the needs of businesses can be met, we must know what they determine is most needed.”

Several participants discussed their efforts to provide health-related incentives and information to their employees, encouraging them to make healthier choices easier. Research supports these worksite wellness efforts. In fact, the CDC reports that more than 75 percent of employer health care costs and productivity losses are related to employee lifestyle choices.

Many businesses in Minneapolis are working to help employees make healthy choices at work through the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP). SHIP is designed to help Minnesotans live longer, healthier lives by preventing the leading causes of chronic disease: tobacco and obesity. As part of the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP), the Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support and its partners are making long-term, sustainable improvements in schools, worksites and other environments to support healthy eating, physical activity and smoke-free living.

SHIP was launched as part of Minnesota’s Vision for a Better State of Health, the bipartisan health reform package enacted in 2008.

Through SHIP, the Downtown Minneapolis TMO implemented a workplace wellness pilot program with eight downtown employers and property managers. The pilot program includes worksite bike/walk friendliness assessments, worksite education and outreach programs, and worksite improvement grants for bike racks, lockers, bike repair kits and signage.

“We appreciate the opportunity to host a conversation between small business leaders to facilitate the exchange of ideas, strategies and concerns in dealing with rising health care costs. There is synergy between employer efforts to reduce health care costs through wellness initiatives and the TMO’s efforts to promote active commuting and transit programs,” says Minneapolis TMO Executive Director Dan MacLaughlin. “We are seeing an increase in requests from employers to help develop custom materials and programs to increase the effect of their wellness initiatives. These conversations help us improve the quality of services and programs we provide to the downtown business community.”

The goal of the Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota’s Small Business Alliance is to bring the best health-oriented information, in the most useful ways, to small businesses and their employees, designed to support smarter, more informed consumers of health care with a special emphasis on workplace health promotion.

The Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota is a public-private partnership that includes a group of Minnesota companies joined together to create fun, engaging and informative events and competitions to help Minnesotans get and stay healthy. Alliance member companies include Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Cargill, General Mills, Medica, Medtronic, The Midwest Dairy Association, Target and UnitedHealth Group, along with the Minnesota Department of Health’s Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP). Learn more at MNAlliance.org.

Mn/DOT reminds public to share the road

NEWS FROM MN/DOT:

The Minnesota Department of Transportation reminds all travelers to share the road and follow traffic safety laws to coincide with area bike/walk week events.

Officials expect a continued surge of bicyclists and pedestrians in 2011 and urge caution for those who may be new to bicycle or pedestrian commuting.

The law is clear—bicyclists and motorists share responsibility. There are eight “rules of the road” to improve bicycle safety:

1. Bicyclists may ride on all Minnesota roads, except where restricted — such as interstates.
2. Bicyclists should ride on the road and must ride in the same direction as traffic.
3. Motorists must maintain a three-foot clearance at all times when passing a bicyclist.
4. Bicyclists must obey all traffic control signs and signals, just as motorists.
5. Motorists and bicyclists must yield the right of way to each other.
6. Bicyclists must signal their turns and should ride in a predictable manner.
7. Bicyclists must use a headlight and rear reflectors when it’s dark.
8. Bicyclists should always wear helmets and bright reflective gear.

For a list of bike/walk week events in Greater Minnesota and the Twin Cities Metro area, go to www.bikewalkweek.org.

For information about the “Share the Road” bicycle safety education program, bicycle crash statistics and resource materials, visit www.sharetheroadmn.org/index.html. Safety videos for adults and kids are available at www.dot.state.mn.us/bike/safety.html.

Community meeting May 26th for Metro Transit maintenance facility air emissions permit

Metro Transit is seeking a permit that will regulate emissions and operations at its Light Rail Operations and Maintenance Facility located at 1810 E. Franklin Ave. in Minneapolis.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will hold a community meeting regarding this permit on May 26, from 6:30 – 8 p.m., in the Bloomington Room, at the East Phillips Park Cultural and Community Center – 2307 17th Ave. S.

The permit is needed so Metro Transit can spray paint light rail trains, perform additional maintenance activities, and use natural-gas-fired heating equipment and an emergency generator at its maintenance facility.

The MPCA reviewed the Metro Transit permit application with respect to applicable federal and state rules including the cumulative levels and effects (CL&E) analysis requirements of Minn. Stat 116.07 subd 4a. As a result of this analysis, the draft air permit includes stringent emission limits and operational limits for the facility.

At the Community Meeting, MPCA staff will provide a brief presentation on the results of the permit application review, including the CL&E analysis, and the draft air permit with time for questions and answers afterwards.

I-494/Nicollet Avenue Bridge Project Open House

NEWS FROM MN/DOT:

ST. PAUL, Minn. —A public information meeting is planned for Monday, May 23 to outline upcoming construction activities, project design and other aspects of the bridge rehabilitation project for Nicollet Avenue and 2nd Avenue spanning I-494 in Bloomington and Richfield.

The meeting is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Assumption Catholic Church, 305 77th Street East, Richfield.

Members of the project team will attend to provide information about the project. Layouts of the design will be displayed during the open house, as well as schedule information. No formal presentation is scheduled.

Individuals with a disability or who need reasonable accommodations to participate should contact Bre Magee at 651-234-7502 by Friday, May 20, 2011. Speech-impaired, deaf, and hard of hearing persons should contact the Minnesota Relay Service at 711 or 1-800-627-3529 (TTY, Voice or ASCII).

For more information on the Nicollet Avenue Bridge project visit http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/i494bloomington/index.html.

For real-time traveler information anywhere in Minnesota visit www.511mn.org or dial 5-1-1.

Washington Avenue on U of M campus permanently closed to traffic

NEWS FROM CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS:

The City of Minneapolis is reminding local travelers that as of Sunday, May 15 Washington Avenue, from Pleasant Street to Walnut Street on the University of Minnesota campus, will be permanently closed to vehicle traffic. The closure is part of Metropolitan Council’s Central Corridor light-rail construction, and crews will be converting the street into a transit and pedestrian mall.

On Sunday, May 15, barricades were delivered to Washington Avenue late in the day. Central Corridor construction crews will move those barricades into place just after midnight, closing the street to all vehicle traffic. Drivers who use Washington Avenue to drive through campus should use alternative routes and follow all posted detours.

Monday’s closure will also include Washington Avenue from Walnut Street to Oak Street, although that block will re-open to traffic once the transit and pedestrian mall is completed.

The Washington Avenue Bridge over the Mississippi River will stay open throughout most of construction, although some evening or weekend closures may be needed.

For more information on the Central Corridor light-rail project, go to www.centralcorridor.org and click on “East Bank 2011 Construction Overview.”

New bike walk center coming to north Minneapolis

NEWS FROM CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS:

The Minneapolis City Council on May 13, 2011 approved a proposal by Redeemer Center for Life to operate a new bike walk center in north Minneapolis that will help improve access to, and affordability of, physical activity opportunities for north Minneapolis residents while encouraging them to bike and walk more for transportation and recreation. Redeemer Center for Life is a non-profit, faith-based, community development organization located in the Harrison neighborhood.

The new bike walk center, located at 1830 Glenwood Avenue North will sell bicycles, bicycle-related products, pedestrian goods (reusable shopping bags, compact grocery carts, umbrellas, transit passes and other accessories) and provide bike repair and maintenance services. The bike walk center will also include programming and resources to encourage residents to bike and walk for transportation and recreation.

The Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support (MDHFS) issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) in February to operate a new bike walk center and received one proposal from Redeemer Center for Life. A panel then reviewed the proposal and sent it to the City Council with many recommendations for approval including:

• Redeemer Center for Life’s strong partnerships with organizations who could start work immediately on the project,
• their experience with youth bike repair programming,
• solid relationships with north Minneapolis community residents and organizations,
• a history of good youth employment and training strategies,
• a clear vision for how the space will function for the many services which need to be provided and,
• a business plan with realistic financial projections as reasons for approving this proposal.

Support for this $350,000 project comes from the Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support as part of its Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) grant, provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

I-35W MnPASS and SmartLanes extension project begins May 16

Project will add two miles of high-tech roadway to busy corridor

Roseville, Minn. — Motorists traveling both directions of I-35W in Burnsville may encounter delays beginning Monday, May 16 as crews begin a project to expand the existing I-35W MnPASS and SmartLanes systems.

The project will extend the existing MnPASS and SmartLanes systems approximately two miles farther south on northbound I-35W. The two technologies together will provide motorists with congestion-free travel choices and real time information on the road ahead, creating a continuous 21st Century Interstate between southern Burnsville and downtown Minneapolis.

The project will also construct new bus shoulders, resurface the pavement, construct noise walls and improve drainage. All work will be completed by October, 2011.

Construction will be substantially complete with all lanes open to traffic by September 30, 2011. Motorists can expect lane shifts and intermittent non-rush hour lane closures throughout the project. As many as four full weekend closures of I-35W will also occur beginning in mid August. Announcements on major traffic changes will be released as more information becomes available.
Motorists can receive advance notice of major traffic changes by signing up for email Updates through the project’s web site at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/burnsvillemnpass/.

More information on MnPASS lanes can be found at http://www.mnpass.org/.

More information on SmartLanes can be found at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/smartlanes/.

For travel information anywhere in Minnesota visit www.511mn.org.

Work begins on Remembrance Garden for I-35W bridge collapse victims

News from City of Minneapolis

Crews have begun construction of a memorial to the victims of the 2007 collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis. The Remembrance Garden will be completed later this summer and officially dedicated on August 1, the fourth anniversary of the disaster.

The Remembrance Garden is being built on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, right across West River Parkway from Gold Medal Park in downtown Minneapolis. The site is on City park land and the memorial will be maintained by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

Minneapolis worked closely with survivors and family members to establish a location and plan for a memorial to remember the victims of the I-35W Bridge collapse. The Remembrance Garden will feature a plaza of 13 beams, each with a name of one of the 13 people lost etched in the beam’s opaque glass face. There will also be a water wall featuring the names of everyone who was on the bridge when it collapsed. A path will lead from the fountain to the edge of the bluff, where an observation deck will let visitors view the river and the new bridge through the trees.

Construction of the $900,000 Remembrance Garden is being paid for through a fund set up as part of a negotiated settlement between the survivors and families of bridge collapse victims and URS Corporation. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board provided the park land.

Renderings of the Remembrance Garden are available on the City’s website athttp://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mayor/docs/35WRemembranceGarden.pdf.

Memorial Day Transit Service

• Metro Transit buses and light-rail trains will follow Sunday/Holiday schedules on Monday, May 30, in observance of Memorial Day.
• Northstar trains will not operate that day.
• Metro Transit stores, Customer Relations and Lost & Found will be closed. The Transit Information Center will take calls from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

MVTA service on Memorial Day

• Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) will follow a Sunday schedule on Memorial Day (May 30).

Visit mvta.com for more details.