Minneapolis and Columbia Heights meet at 37th Avenue Northeast and the road marks part of the county line between Hennepin and Anoka counties. And a stretch of the street, from Central Avenue to Stinson Boulevard, is “celebrating” its sixtieth birthday. There’s consensus among planners of both municipalities (the cities each own half) that the venerable roadway has its best years behind it.
The heaving concrete slabs and the multiple asphalt patches has left it “in pretty rough shape,” in the words of Columbia Heights Public Works Director/City Engineer Kevin Hansen. According to the city’s Pavement Condition Index (PCI) rating scale, the street is rated “poor.” The corridor serves approximately 12,000 vehicles per day, and its estimated maintenance cost is $10,000 per year.
In 2016, the City of Minneapolis applied for a regional solicitation grant from the Metropolitan Council (awarded in 2018) for reconstruction. The proposal for the one-mile length calls for complete replacement of the street infrastructure, including pavement, curb and gutter, sidewalks, adding ADA curb ramps, intersection enhancements, and a reduction to single lanes in either direction. This would make possible the continuation of the walking/biking trail on either the north or south side of the street.
A Jan. 28 virtual “open house” for the project brought stakeholders together to explain the possibilities and get public feedback. The project is in its pre-design phase, and could change a lot before actual construction, scheduled for 2023, would begin.
Forrest Hardy, transportation planner with Minneapolis Department of Public Works, listed several policies that the new design must consider, including the Minneapolis Vision Zero Resolution, which seeks to eliminate traffic deaths and injuries by 2027; the Minneapolis Complete Streets Policy, “a commitment to building a complete and integrated public right-of-way to ensure that everyone can travel safely and comfortably, regardless of whether they are walking, biking, taking transit, or driving;” the Minneapolis Transportation Action (TAP) plan, which integrates strategies for walking, cycling, transit, street operations and design; and the Minneapolis 2040 Plan, which prioritizes walking, biking, and public transit.
Echoing Hansen’s assessment, Hardy noted, “This avenue is at the end of its useful life.” He pointed to a five-year record of incidents on the one-mile section, which had 101 vehicle crashes, 31% of which included injuries; two pedestrians struck, and 2 bicycle accidents, one of which was fatal.
Two trail plans
One of the unusual aspects of this project is that it proposes to include a walking trail that connects the existing trail on 37th Ave NE West of Central Avenue with a possible future trail at Stinson Blvd.
Two alternative plans were proposed: Alternative 1 would put the trail on the north (Heights) side of the street where it would provide a more direct connection to the existing trail(s), fewer street crossings for trail users, and a wider boulevard on the north side of the rail crossing on Central Avenue. It would require the center line of 37th Avenue to shift slightly to the south. While both alternatives call for retaining walls on the north side properties, this configuration would require slightly taller walls. Some power poles might need relocation, too.
Alternative 2, with the trail on the south (Minneapolis) side, would not require a shift in the street center and would reduce the height of the north side retaining walls. The trail would have to cross to the opposite side at both Central Avenue and Hart Boulevard. Because of the existing topography, neither alternative requires retaining walls on the south side.
Referring to the road cross-section renderings, Hardy noted the difference between sidewalks and trails. A typical concrete sidewalk is between 5 feet and 6 feet wide, and suitable for walking only. A trail is 10 feet or more wide, good for biking and walking, and usually paved with asphalt for smoother biking. The trails would have 2-ft. grass “clear zones” between their edges and retaining walls.
The width of the paved street would narrow, from 44 feet to 26 feet, with a single vehicle lane in either direction, eliminating on-street parking, reducing stormwater runoff and allowing a wider green boulevard. Hardy said, “One of our goals is to reduce crossing distances for pedestrians, and wider boulevards would allow more green space, tree trenches and other stormwater management tools.” With the lane reduction, left-turn lanes would be striped in and right-side edges cut at Johnson Street and Hart Boulevard. These intersections might end up with narrow center islands, as well.
The proposal gets a little complicated at 37th Place, a diagonal strip of roadway heading northeast to Stinson. Moving the trail along this strip would reduce trail crossings of the Canadian Pacific rail tracks from two to one. Hardy said conversations are ongoing with CP on how the existing northside trail fits in with the tracks. There is also a proposal to turn the southwest end of 37th Place into a cul-de-sac, eliminating a sketchy left turn off of 37th Avenue.
Participants asked about funding and maintenance. The current project cost estimate is $13.5 million. Both cities would negotiate an agreement on sharing the respective costs. Maintenance would continue as currently agreed, with each city responsible for the street’s upkeep on alternate years. Concerns about the loss of trees was allayed somewhat by the fact that the boulevard depths will be increased. Tree planting, if any, would be handled on the Minneapolis side by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, and in Columbia Heights by working with residents who might want trees in front of their homes.
Hardy said that additional street lighting was not required, and Hansen said that there was “interest in lighting but no commitment at this time.” Asked about enhanced, pedestrian-activated traffic signals at the intersections of Central, Johnson and Stinson, Hardy said, “Those features are in our toolbox,” including visible and audible timers. He added, “There will likely be one more round of public input prior to staff bringing a final recommended design for City Council layout approval. Columbia Heights will bring the concept through its own City Council process concurrently with Minneapolis’ process.”
The project website, with more graphics and information, is www.37thavene.com.
Below: 37th Avenue NE between Hart Blvd and Stinson Blvd, showing possible trail layouts along 37th Place. The upper trail avoids a rail line crossing. An alternative would eliminate left turns at 37th Place. Alternative designs for 37th Avenue NE. Upper section shows a proposed trail on Columbia Heights side (left side), with the street centerline shifted to the South. Lower section shows a trail on the Minneapolis side (right side) with no change in the street centerline. Street parking would be eliminated with either design. (illustrations courtesy of SEH)