Overview
The I-35W/Crosstown Commons Area is heavily congested, has high crash rates and requires weaving between lanes. Through the 1990s Mn/DOT worked with the local communities to develop a project to limit the weaving and reduce the crash rates with minimal right of way takings. The proposed project included lengthy closures of major movements during the four-year construction period. These lengthy closures plus the lack of new capacity led the 2001 Legislature to defer the proposed project, and required Mn/DOT to evaluate alternatives which increased capacity and required significantly shorter periods of closure for major movements. The result of this study is the alternative now pursued by Mn/DOT.
Improvements include: reconstruction of the I-35W/Hwy 62 Commons Area and addition of a High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane between 46th Street in Minneapolis and I-494 in Richfield/Bloomington; the addition of a general purpose lane on I-35W between Hwy 62 and 46th Street; and additional capacity on Hwy 62 through the Commons Area. The project also includes a proposed new access ramp to westbound Hwy 62 from Lyndale Avenue and closure of the existing access to westbound Hwy 62 from Portland Avenue. Closures for major movements during construction are estimated to be no longer than two months. Additional homes and businesses were identified for acquisition in order to make these improvements.
Project goals
- Reduce road closures to nights and weekends for work directly over the freeway.
- Increase road capacity by maintaining two through lanes on westbound Hwy 62 and a through lane on eastbound Hwy 62 as well as additional capacity north of the Commons area on northbound and southbound I-35W.
- Minimize additional right of way takings while balancing impacts on adjacent properties.
- Provide for continuous High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to support transit on I-35W, which has the highest transit use of any corridor in the Metro Area.
- Implement safety improvements that eliminate left lane exits as well as the weaving movement for vehicles traveling between Hwy 62 and I-35W.
- Create neighborhood benefits by reducing traffic diversions to local streets, both during construction and in the long term.