Highway 252/I-94 Environmental Review

Background

Various agencies have studied and evaluated the needs of the Hwy 252/I-94 corridor in recent years, including:

• 2016 - City of Brooklyn Center’s Hwy 252 Corridor Study (PDF)
• 2017 - The Metropolitan Council’s Principal Arterial Intersection Conversion Study
• 2018 - MnDOT’s MnPASS System Study Phase 3 (for more information, contact Minnesota E-ZPass)

In addition, our partners at Hennepin County led an environmental assessment (EA) of the corridor in 2018 and 2019. This effort included three rounds of public engagement. We are using public and stakeholder feedback gathered during the early portion of the EA process to help us develop an environmental impact statement (EIS). This EIS will outline a potential project’s impact to the area surrounding Hwy 252 and I-94. Our team will continue engaging with the community and other stakeholders at each step in the EIS process. 

*MnDOT and partners made the decision to change from an EA to an EIS due to the magnitude and complexity of the Hwy 252/I-94 corridor project.

Historic and cultural resources

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 requires federal agencies to evaluate effects of federally funded projects on historic properties. The Hwy 252/I-94 project is going through the Section 106 process to identify historic properties, assess effects, and establish measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any adverse effects.

We welcome your involvement in our initial identification efforts of historic properties. If you have information on historic properties or would like additional information on the Section 106 process for the Hwy 252/I-94 Corridor Project, contact Maggie Jones at Maggie.Jones@state.mn.us.

Community engagement

From these efforts, we learned there are many corridor users who have varied interests and goals for the corridor.

Spring 2022

• Three open houses
• Nine pop ups
• One virtual public meeting
• Spring 2022 engagement summary (PDF)

Summer 2019

• Three open houses
• Ten pop ups
• Three door-knocking sessions
• One general online survey
• One transit specific online survey
• Round 3 community engagement summary (PDF)
• Summer 2019 engagement report (PDF)

Winter 2018

• Three open houses
• Eight pop ups
• One online survey
• Round 2 community engagement summary (PDF)
• Winter 2018 Engagement Report (PDF)

Summer 2018

• Two open houses
• Seven pop ups
• Two community Listening Sessions
• Seven door-knocking sessions
• One online survey
• Round 1 community engagement summary (PDF)
• Summer 2018 Engagement Report (PDF)

Project funding

We have identified funding opportunities for some proposed project elements, including:

2017

• Brooklyn Center awarded funds for the 66th Ave. and 70th Ave. intersections from the 2016 Metropolitan Council’s regional solicitation.
• Brooklyn Center awarded additional funds for the 66th Ave. intersection from the 2017 Minnesota Highway Freight Program.

2018

• Brooklyn Park awarded funds for the 85th Ave. intersection from the 2018 Metropolitan Council’s regional solicitation.
• Corridors of Commerce program

2020

• Brooklyn Park was awarded funding for Brookdale Drive.

In addition to these funding opportunities, MnDOT and our project partners have identified funding in our capital programs to support the effort.