Community Corner

Highway 36 Construction Means Less Traffic Lights, but More Traffic Coming

A slew of signals will be taken out with this summer's construction project. But will it be enough to curb the jams in the Twin Cities East Metro?

Article by Mike Schoemer

It's a hassle now, but Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic leads are hoping this summer's pain is worth a little bit of gain, especially when drivers notice what's missing—a slew of traffic signals along Minnesota Highway 36. 

The major road that connects the eastern side of the Twin Cities metro is going through an extensive and expensive redux this summer. But, as the Star Tribune reports, it's all in preparation for the new St. Croix River Crossing in Oak Park Heights

That new bridge, according to MnDOT, is expected to carry thousands of more vehicles per day than the historic Stillwater Lift Bridge. 

Reconstruction of the highway at English Street removes a major bottleneck on the road, MnDOT told the paper. Another removal helps those looking to head into areas such as Andersen Windows. But five lights will remain, including a pair in Oakdale.

See: Highway 36 Options Outlined at Oakdale Meeting

Rep. Betty McCollum has weighed in, saying MnDOT should see this summer as a start, but the new bridge will bring more bottlenecks to both Highway 36 and Interstate 694/494, something the agency should be better prepared for than what she feels it is today.

McCollum famously battled fellow Congresswoman Michele Bachmann on the bridge from the conception of the project to its groundbreaking last spring. 

While MnDOT agrees, the paper states, they need funding and a long-range plan to make the projects work. 




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