2011-10-27
2011-10-25
Strib Remix #1: A utopian post-car re-imagining of a recent Star Tribune article
Hwy. 52 between
Rochester, Cities
dangerously behind the
times
Article by: Star Tribune
Updated:October 23, 2011 - 11:17 PM Just now. By me.
Two deadly crashes this month underscore the need toupgrade an outmoded stretch of reduce the need to drive long distances quickly on
busy Hwy. 52 between the Twin Cities and
Rochester, while officials clamoring for
those improvements admit that eliminating
dangerous intersections reducing auto dependency would necessarily take years is the only choice given the
and millions of dollars they don't have.
Because of a lack of alternative transportation options the divided highway isa key link the only way to get between the
metro area and the state's third-largest city,
the Mayo Clinic and Interstate 90. Despite
stretches that appear to be freeway, the
highway is still peppered with "at-grade"
crossings in rural areas, where drivers on
county roads must cross high-speed traffic
without the benefit of bridges or on-ramps.
"It's brutal," said Goodhue County Commissioner Dan Rechtzigel, a teacher at Kenyon-Wanamingo High School whose former student Curtis Flom, 27, died in one of the recent accidents. "I'm waking up every day toget that road fixed shift our culture away from its dangerous reliance on the automobile."
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has been working with Dakota, Goodhue and Olmsted counties to eventuallyturn the entire stretch into
freeway figure out ways to reduce auto dependency.
But Building interchanges and
redirecting crossroads is an expensive,
years-long process that government can't really afford any longer.
Yet Even though by banding together to lobby for
projects, rather than competing with each
other for the money, local governments they have completed or
found funding for about half the 18 projects, there is still on a $796 million to-do list that's been hanging around since drawn up in
2002.
On the northern end, stoplights have been removed as interchanges and frontage roads were built in Inver Grove Heights. Medians that invited dangerous left turns from cross streets have been closed. On the southern end, an interchange is under construction south of Pine Island in anticipation of growth in the Elk Run area. More stoplights have been removed on the northern edge of Rochester and Hwy. 52 unfortunately is a freeway all through that city.
"Everybody has the same goal here -- to improve safety," said Olmsted County Engineer Mike Sheehan. In Goodhue County, construction will start in 2013 toreplace stoplights in Cannon Falls
with a new interchange introduce traffic calming techniques.
At County Road 9, the site of the two recent deadly collisions, there is an experimental dynamic sign that uses technology to gauge speed and gaps in highway traffic to let drivers on the county road know when it's safe to cross. There hadn't been a fatal crash there since the sign was installed a couple years ago.
"We were quite pleased," said Goodhue County Commissioner Richard Samuelson, who survived his own accident on Hwy. 52 about five years ago. "We hadn't had any accidents [or] tragedies there for some time. Then all of a sudden we have three in 10 days."
It's a sad fact that America’s reliance on automobiles as the only mode of transportation kills about 40,000 people every year. For example, on Oct. 8, Angelo Dimopoulos, 70, was driving westbound on County Road 9 and attempted to cross Hwy. 52 when two southbound vehicles hit his car. He died, as did his passenger, Connie Dimopoulos, 65. Ten days later, Flom was driving eastbound on County Road 9 when his sport-utility vehicle was broadsided by a northbound car.
Both crashes are being discussed by local officials in meetings of Toward Zero Deaths committees organized by MnDOT in 2004 because of the higher-than-usual crash rate in the corridor.
"We're already putting together a timeline of the safety improvements we're doing in that corridor," said Kristine Hernandez, MnDOT's Toward Zero Deaths coordinator.
In 2003, MnDOT installed large green-and- white signs advising drivers of the county road intersections. Other safety projects h ave included improvements to intersection lighting, rumble strips and road striping.
Yet, reducing auto dependency is a large intractable problem. Even today, about 20,000 cars travel the middle of the corridor each day, as measured near Cannon Falls. Near Interstate 494, Hwy. 52 sees 61,000 cars per day.
Goodhue County Sheriff Scott McNurlin said his deputies have paid particular attention to speed limit enforcement on Hwy. 52 in the past five to 10 years.
"We do get a lot of complaints on a regular basis about speed and aggressive driving," McNurlin said. "It's obviously designed to look and act like a four-lane highway that people drive on without paying attention like an interstate."
Compounding the problem, local officials said, are awkward angles at many intersections, thanks to the diagonal alignment of Hwy. 52 through the county. In those places, even the frame of a car's windshield can create blind spots that block fast-approaching traffic from view.
"You can't imagine how many close calls there have been," Samuelson said. "Everybody worries about [Hwy.] 52."
Katie Humphrey • 952-746-3286
 |
| A car on Goodhue County Road 14 waits for a gap in traffic in order to turn onto Hwy 52, south of Cannon Falls. |
Article by: Star Tribune
Updated:
Two deadly crashes this month underscore the need to
Because of a lack of alternative transportation options the divided highway is
"It's brutal," said Goodhue County Commissioner Dan Rechtzigel, a teacher at Kenyon-Wanamingo High School whose former student Curtis Flom, 27, died in one of the recent accidents. "I'm waking up every day to
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has been working with Dakota, Goodhue and Olmsted counties to eventually
On the northern end, stoplights have been removed as interchanges and frontage roads were built in Inver Grove Heights. Medians that invited dangerous left turns from cross streets have been closed. On the southern end, an interchange is under construction south of Pine Island in anticipation of growth in the Elk Run area. More stoplights have been removed on the northern edge of Rochester and Hwy. 52 unfortunately is a freeway all through that city.
"Everybody has the same goal here -- to improve safety," said Olmsted County Engineer Mike Sheehan. In Goodhue County, construction will start in 2013 to
At County Road 9, the site of the two recent deadly collisions, there is an experimental dynamic sign that uses technology to gauge speed and gaps in highway traffic to let drivers on the county road know when it's safe to cross. There hadn't been a fatal crash there since the sign was installed a couple years ago.
"We were quite pleased," said Goodhue County Commissioner Richard Samuelson, who survived his own accident on Hwy. 52 about five years ago. "We hadn't had any accidents [or] tragedies there for some time. Then all of a sudden we have three in 10 days."
It's a sad fact that America’s reliance on automobiles as the only mode of transportation kills about 40,000 people every year. For example, on Oct. 8, Angelo Dimopoulos, 70, was driving westbound on County Road 9 and attempted to cross Hwy. 52 when two southbound vehicles hit his car. He died, as did his passenger, Connie Dimopoulos, 65. Ten days later, Flom was driving eastbound on County Road 9 when his sport-utility vehicle was broadsided by a northbound car.
Both crashes are being discussed by local officials in meetings of Toward Zero Deaths committees organized by MnDOT in 2004 because of the higher-than-usual crash rate in the corridor.
"We're already putting together a timeline of the safety improvements we're doing in that corridor," said Kristine Hernandez, MnDOT's Toward Zero Deaths coordinator.
In 2003, MnDOT installed large green-and- white signs advising drivers of the county road intersections. Other safety projects h ave included improvements to intersection lighting, rumble strips and road striping.
Yet, reducing auto dependency is a large intractable problem. Even today, about 20,000 cars travel the middle of the corridor each day, as measured near Cannon Falls. Near Interstate 494, Hwy. 52 sees 61,000 cars per day.
Goodhue County Sheriff Scott McNurlin said his deputies have paid particular attention to speed limit enforcement on Hwy. 52 in the past five to 10 years.
"We do get a lot of complaints on a regular basis about speed and aggressive driving," McNurlin said. "It's obviously designed to look and act like a four-lane highway that people drive on without paying attention like an interstate."
Compounding the problem, local officials said, are awkward angles at many intersections, thanks to the diagonal alignment of Hwy. 52 through the county. In those places, even the frame of a car's windshield can create blind spots that block fast-approaching traffic from view.
"You can't imagine how many close calls there have been," Samuelson said. "Everybody worries about [Hwy.] 52."
Katie Humphrey • 952-746-3286
 |
|
A new electronic sign at the
intersection of County Road 9 and Hwy 52, south of Cannon Falls, shows drivers
when the gap in traffic is big enough for them to cross or turn onto the
highway.
|
Reading the Highland Villager #47
[Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. That's why I'm reading the Highland Villager so that you don't have to. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free.] Total # of articles about sidewalks: 7
Total # of articles about sidewalks written by Jane McClure: 5
Headline: Century-old Triune Temple stands as a well-preserved testament of Masonic skills
Reporter: Lisa Heinrich
Short short version: [Breaking news!] Nice piece on the restored 1911 Masonic temple in Merriam Park. Piece includes horrifying description of its “wall-to-wall carpet” “modernized” period. Article includes [lots and lots and lots of] architectural history details, including primer of five types of classical columns.
Headline: City staff seeking new designs for Jefferson bikeway
Reporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: [In a move that must surely please the Villager editor, not only because it’s a “victory” for them, but because they’ll get to keep reporting on this story for months to come,] The city DOT is now trying to figure out how to re-design the Jefferson Avenue bike boulevard. [They face the challenge of trying to do something new in what is apparently the most the reactionary tailpipe-sucking neighborhood in the Northern Upper Midwest. –Ed.]
Headline: Hefty increase expected in many property tax bills; Most of the increase can be attributed to state tax shifts
Reporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: Property taxes are going up in St Paul because of State funding shifts such as cutting of the homestead credit. This is particularly true for “several neighborhood [sic] served by the Villager” [, i.e. where the middle-class St Paul people live. -Ed.]
Headline: Editorial: Citizens deserve a say on risky stadium deal
Reporter: Tom Goldstein
Short short version: Lengthy wonky essay on the community meeting in New Brighton with the Ramsey County Charter Commission, calling for a vote on the Vikings stadium tax. Column includes detail on redistributive history of stadium financing across the country, and how it serves private interests while public governments assume all the risk. Column includes words like “boondoggle.”
Headline: Summit-Dale is latest battleground in war against ash borer
Reporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: Report on [hopeless] campaign to stop the ash borer in Summit-Dale.
Headline: Historic status paves way for Schmidt Brewery redevelopment
Reporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: The West 7th neighborhood group got the letter from Ken Salazar, secretary of the Interior, with notice of the historic preservation for the Schmidt Brewery on September 29th. Article includes reference to “the ill-fated Gopher State Ethanol plant.”
Headline: Liquor license recommended for St. Thomas with conditions
Reporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: A [previously unheard-of functionary named a] St Paul legislative hearing officer decided that St Thomas will get a liquor license to allow outdoor sales during events, despite the protests of [Tommie hating] neighbors in the area.
Headline: Shepard-Davern zoning change sets stage for PPL groundbreaking
Reporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: Groundbreaking on the [NIMBY-defeating] affordable housing project on West 7th will take place in early November.
Headline: Local projects vie for slice of CIB pie; Hope remains for Highland streetscape funding
Reporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: [As previously reported in this space] Highland Village’s failed attempt to get city Capital Improvement Budget money to re-do their [inlaid slippery brick] sidewalks may not be dead as outgoing CM Harris found a half-million dollars sitting in a “dormant street reconstruction project.” [This is the same CM Harris that was outraged that money was being spent on bike sharrows, the same CM Harris that fought the bike boulevard diverter because it was wasteful use of tax dollars without sufficient public scrutiny? Yes. That’s the one. –Ed.]
Headline: Cossetta lot OK’d with no landscaping
Reporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: [Living wage dodger] David Cossetta will get to build a new 64-space parking lot without the required amount of landscaping. Cossetta is receiving $2M in public money to expand his pizza business. Article includes description of landscaping requirement as intending “to improve the appearance of parking lots, provide shade and improve stormwater drainage.” Article includes the following quote from Cossetta: “I need every one of those 64 parking spaces.”
2011-10-24
2011-10-21
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