Could a Proposed Railway Merger Finally Bridge the Twin Cities by Bike?
In light of renewed pressure to convert a railroad bridge to a multi-use, multimodal span, Streets.mn reviews the history of the Midtown Greenway and the advocacy around it.
Category: Bridges
A Bicycle Tour of Twin Cities Lift and Swing Bridges
From the beginning, the key to coexistence of rail and river traffic has been a half dozen movable swing and lift bridges. Unlike Duluth’s and Stillwater’s lift bridges, many Twin Cities lift and swing bridges operate in underappreciated obscurity. Let’s take a bicycle tour!
Summer 2021 Highway News Roundup
As the 2021 construction season moves into high gear, I thought I’d try something different and write about a few things that have gone on around the state the past year, interesting enough to present here but probably not deserving of their own full article. The St. Francis Highway 47 Safety Project by St. Francis […]
The Robert Piram Trail Completes a Major Missing Link in Saint Paul
In a few weeks, the Robert Piram Regional Trail will officially open between Saint Paul and South Saint Paul. Here’s why it just might be the Twin Cities cycling community’s new favorite trail.
A Non-Definitive Ranking of Paths Over and Under I-94 in Minneapolis and Saint Paul
The other day, I decided I had a favorite bridge across I-94: the 3rd Ave bridge in Minneapolis. I love it! The cedar-inspired light installations, the wide sidewalks, the nice railings, the feeling of being welcomed into the city center. So, obviously, I have to have a least-favorite bridge, right? There are a good number […]
Pedestrian Infrastructure Alignment Chart
Lawful good: Sabo Bridge. High above the car traffic, Sabo Bridge provides a safe, comfortable, and extremely legal way to cross Hiawatha (as long as you’re not in a hurry). Neutral good: Nicollet Mall. Undeniably good, but for the light timing issues. Chaotic good: Crossing Snelling Ave in front of the Loons stadium […]
Minnesota River Bridge: an E for Effort
The new I-35W Minnesota River Bridge will include a “pedestrian trail” to accommodate walkers and bikers across the Minnesota River. This is great news for folks commuting across the Minnesota River, as the nearest year-round crossing of the river is seven miles downstream at I-494. There’s a catch, though. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) […]
Meet a Roundabout: U.S. 61 in Forest Lake
“Meet a Roundabout” is a new series of posts about roundabouts in the Twin Cities area that are improving traffic efficiency and safety. Posts include pictures and video of the roundabout and a history of how it came to be. This is the third post in the series. On Saturday, I drove my father to […]
Updating the Bruce Vento Trail
I have previously written about what a fantastic urban bikeway the Bruce Vento Trail is. My family and I continue to use it frequently, including my now 5 year old daughter on her own two-wheeler. However, there are some major safety issues. At intersections we would like the travel of the bicycle to remain parallel […]
Best and Worst Pedestrian Bridges in MSP–an Unscientific Sampling
Last week’s article calling for a ban on slip lanes in Saint Paul is spot on. Too many of our city streets are built like highways, endangering pedestrians and bicyclists by design. The comments on the article, however, turned toward pedestrian bridges, in particular the bridge at Aldine over I-94, as an alternative to walking […]