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Facts and Myths

Question: I live one block from Minnehaha Creek...in the area where a number of trees were removed along Hiawatha Ave. on July 26th. Part of the plan (to tear down those trees that block the view and noise from Hiawatha Ave.) was not shared with our neighborhood. How come we weren't told that construction was starting July 26th?

Answer: Concern for the safety of residents, protesters and construction workers prevented Mn/DOT from publicizing a definite date for the start of construction. Mn/DOT holds open houses throughout the planning process and prior to the start of construction to inform residents of construction plans and answer any questions. Information about tree removal was available at those meetings. A landscaping plan is being developed in coordination with the Minneapolis Park Board. Options will be presented to local residents and representative before the plan is completed. A noise wall planned for the west side of the bypass cannot be built until the fall of 2000, because of the sequence of construction.

Question: Why is Hiawatha Avenue being rebuilt to shave three minutes off the time it takes suburbanites to reach the Mall of America?

Answer: Hiawatha Ave. is not being rebuilt to save time for motorists traveling to the Mall or other points south of Minneapolis. The highway needs to be upgraded to safely handle the current volume of traffic using the roadway. Reconstruction of the road and intersections will reduce the high accident rate and improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Question: Why is Mn/DOT suing the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) over their permit?

Answer: A complaint was filed only to preserve the department's legal right to seek judicial review if there is an issue that cannot be resolved. Any information that Mn/DOT intends to bypass environmental requirements is incorrect. At MCWD meetings, the department agreed to work cooperatively with the MCWD, DNR, Minneapolis Park Board and local representatives to implement additional erosion control measures, modify the pond at 46th Street and provide a wildlife corridor under Hwy. 55 at the creek. The use of special concrete forms will give a limestone appearance to the weir in Minnehaha Creek. Mn/DOT is currently implementing these revisions. Additional conditions imposed by the MCWD are beyond the scope of their existing rules and authority or are beyond their jurisdictional boundaries. Mn/DOT will continue to work in good faith with the MCWD to resolve these issues.

Question: Is there any legitimate claim that the land in question belongs to the Native Americans or that the oak trees are sacred?

Answer: The State of Minnesota Indian Affairs Council said it best in an October 5, 1998 letter. "After a thorough review by the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, which is made up of the tribal chairs of the States 11 federally recognized tribes and is responsible for determining the cultural significance of such sites, it was determined that no substantial evidence exists that the proposed Highway 55 rerouting would directly impact any such site...to attempt to exploit a piece of land for the purposes of simply stopping the rerouting of a highway, is not only wrong, in the long run it hurts our efforts to protect sites that are truly sacred and culturally significant." -Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, Joseph B. Day, Executive Director.

Question: What impacts will the project have on Minnehaha Park?

Answer: The park will gain 2.3 acres of land. A new land bridge over Highway 55 at Minnehaha Parkway will connect both sides of park property and will provide a safer park for the enjoyment of visitors. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has been thoroughly involved in the development of this project.

Question: Is the 1985 Final Environmental Impact Statement on Hiawatha Ave. adequate?

Answer: The Minnesota Environmental Quality Board (MEQB) has established rules regarding preparation of environmental impact statements and how to determine adequacy. The 1985 Final Environmental Impact Statement on Hiawatha Avenue was determined adequate according to MEQB rules and still remains legally adequate.

Question: How could the 1985 Final Environmental Impact Statement be adequate if it did not evaluate the impacts of the alignment south of 54th Street?

Answer: When only minor changes are suggested during public review of a draft environmental impact statement, both federal and state rules allow a "short form" final environmental impact statement to be prepared. The 1985 Final Environmental Impact Statement used the "short form" which incorporated by reference the 1983 Draft Environmental Impact Statement. When put together, the 1983 Draft and 1985 Final Environmental Impact Statements adequately evaluated the impacts of the entire project corridor, including the area south of 54th Street to Crosstown Highway 62.

Question: Does the identification of new potential impacts, such as work in the park or near the creek, tree removal or the presence of Camp Coldwater Spring require the preparation of a new or supplemental Environmental Impact Statement?

Answer: The impacts to Minnehaha Park and the removal of oak trees south of 54th St. are not new impacts, since they were identified and evaluated in the 1983 Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Camp Coldwater Spring was not identified in either the 1983 or 1985 statements because the project avoids the spring, located on Bureau of Mines property. The project has been designed to avoid impacting the flow of groundwater to the spring. Mn/DOT will monitor both water quantity and quality during construction to insure that the spring is not impacted.

Question: Has the Hiawatha project changed since 1985, such that a new or supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required?

Answer: The roadway portion of the Hiawatha Avenue project is the same as that evaluated in the 1985 Final Environmental Impact Statement. A separate Environmental Assessment was made for the Hiawatha Ave. bridge over Lake Street.

Question: Your spokesperson said that the residents and people of Minnesota have voted to approve this project.

Answer: No one votes specifically on public projects such as Hiawatha Ave. In a democracy, citizens elect representatives to represent them in decisions such as public works projects. However, citizens also become involved in the decision-making process by serving on committees, task forces or by attending public meetings and hearings to make their individual voices heard. Public participation, which unfolded during the past thirty years, was crucial to influencing the design of Hiawatha Avenue from the original six-lane freeway design to the current four-lane boulevard under construction.