MnDOT asks for input on Mississippi River Trail bikeway’s future operation

NEWS FROM MN/DOT

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The public and local officials are invited to participate in a meeting to discuss how the Mississippi River Trail bikeway should be managed in the future. The trail travels through nearly 100 communities between Lake Itasca and the Iowa border.

Nearly 70 cities, counties and agencies manage a portion of the MRT in Minnesota.

“The challenge is finding a way to effectively operate this multi-agency initiative,” said Dan Collins, MRT planner with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. “One step forward is a comprehensive system of MRT signs. The goal of these meetings is find out if and how involved agencies will take on this and other operational challenges.”

Currently, trail routes may be accessed online or on printed maps, but the trail does not have consistent on-road route signage.

All meetings take place 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the following locations and dates:

Roseville – Monday, Dec. 12
MnDOT – Waters Edge
1500 W. County Road B-2

Bemidji – Tuesday, Dec. 13
Bemidji City Hall – Council Chambers
317 Fourth St. NW

St. Cloud – Thursday, Dec. 15
St. Cloud Public Library, Bremer Room
1300 W. Saint Germain St.

Winona – Monday, Dec. 19
Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical, Tandeski Center
1200 Storr’s Pond Road

The MRT is a bikeway that follows the Mississippi River from its headwaters in Itasca State Park to the Gulf of Mexico. The majority of the MRT is routed on relatively low-use roads and road shoulders, and it connects several off-road trails throughout Minnesota. For more information, visit www.mndot.gov/bike/mrt.html.

NovaBus Cedar Avenue BRT Vehicle to be on Display Dec. 14-15

Burnsville, Minn. – (Dec. 9, 2011) – Take a look, kick the tires or step on board the bus selected as the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vehicle for the Cedar Avenue Transitway service to begin in late 2012.  The bus will be on exhibit Dec. 14-15 at the following locations:

Wednesday, Dec. 14, 9-10 a.m. – Burnsville Transit Station, 100 E. Highway 13, Burnsville

Wednesday, Dec. 14, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. – Dakota County Western Service Center, 14955 Galaxie Ave, Apple Valley

Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2:30-5 p.m. – MVTA Eagan Bus Garage, 3600 Blackhawk Road, Eagan

Thursday, Dec. 15, 9-11 a.m. – Metro Transit Heywood Offices/Garage, 560 6^th Ave. N., Minneapolis

Thursday, Dec. 15, 11:30 a.m. -1 p.m. – Metro Transit Overhaul Base, 515 N. Cleveland, St. Paul

Thursday, Dec. 15, 2:30-5 p.m.  – MVTA Burnsville Bus Garage, 11550 Rupp Drive, Burnsville

Cedar Avenue is one of the most traveled roads in Dakota County. Construction preparing Cedar Avenue for the buses that will run on the bus-only shoulders began in 2011 and will resume again in spring 2012. Most of the construction will be completed by late fall 2012 with some minor finishing touches completed in spring 2013. Station-to-station service with 15-minute frequency is currently slated to begin in late 2012.

The MVTA will be the service provider for the Cedar Avenue Station-to-Station service, and the MVTA Board approved the purchase of the seven vehicles at its Board meeting on Dec. 7.  The Metropolitan Council is expected to authorize funding at its Dec. 14 meeting.

The buses are being purchased via the State of Minnesota Cooperative Purchasing Venture in the amount of $3,110,463.  Funding for the buses is from two primary sources:  the MVTA secured a competitive Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) grant in 2009-10 matched 80/20 by Regional Transit Capital funds and funds committed by the Dakota County Regional Railroad Authority (DCRRA) which may be augmented by Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB) funds.  CTIB collects a quarter-cent sales tax in Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington counties and a $20 a motor vehicle sales tax, permitted by the Minnesota Legislature, to invest in and advance transitway projects by awarding annual capital and operating grants.

In additional to the vehicles, the MVTA will need to purchase cameras, automatic vehicle locator (AVL) system hardware and a parts inventory for maintenance purposes.

Full closure of Interstate 494 between Hwy 212 & Hwy 100 scheduled for Dec. 9-12

ROSEVILLE, Minn. – Motorists in the southwest Twin Cities Metro Area will encounter delays and a detour on both directions of I-494 when the roadway closes between Hwy 212 and Hwy 100 at 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9.

Lane closures will begin at 7 p.m. Dec. 9. During the closure, posted detours will direct motorists to bypass the closure via Hwy 212, Hwy 62 and Hwy 100.

Access to Eden Prairie Center, local businesses and neighborhoods adjacent to the Hwy 169/I-494 interchange will remain open and available during the closure.

Hwy 212 and surface roadways that service neighborhoods and other businesses that feed them to the south of I-494 will remain unaffected.

All lanes of I-494 will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, Dec. 12.

Part of the Hwy 169/I-494 interchange reconstruction project, the closure is necessary as crews place beams to span the interstate for the new flyover bridge from westbound I-494 to southbound Hwy 169.

The Hwy 169/I-494 interchange reconstruction project includes turning the current expressway into a freeway by rebuilding the interchange with six ramps instead of eight. The performance-based design removes traffic signals, reduces congestion and improves safety.

For more information on the Hwy 169/I-494 interchange reconstruction project, call the Hwy 169/I-494 Project hotline at 1-877-563-4768, e-mail Hwy169-I494@rranow.com or visit http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/169/.

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