Last week, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) held two public meetings regarding Olson Memorial Highway. Shortly after, they launched a survey as an engagement tool to understand what improvements community members would like to see for the highway. They have a tight deadline for the survey: it ends Sunday, December 7, at 11:59PM, so take it before it closes!
We encourage Bring Back 6th supporters to advocate for the following open-ended questions.
What changes to Olson Memorial Hwy would make the biggest difference and why?
- Lowering speed limit to 25MPH
- Restriping the roadway to reduce lane widths, adding dedicated transit lanes, and bike lanes
- Marking crosswalks at all intersections and mid-block crossings
- Installing asphalt art pavement pilot project to help improve pedestrian safety and visibility
- Add leading pedestrian intervals and adjust walk signaling time to accommodate everyone, including elders, families with small children, and people with limited mobility
- Speed bumps
- Land reclamation from the highway for new uses such as public housing, grocery stores, gathering, and communal spaces
- Implementing anti-displacement policies to ensure that residents on the Northside stay in place and benefit from highway conversion
Do you have anything else to share with us?
- This survey could’ve been more accessible by breaking down what the different treatment options mean, sharing more scale images, or renderings.
- Offer an answer selection of ‘Other’ with the opportunity to expand on answers.
- Consider highway removal and land reclamation as part of the remedy for this corridor, and what other needs could be met as a result.
- MnDOT could’ve done a better job engaging residents and community members with a more accessible format as it determines an alternative design for the Olson Memorial Highway. Additionally, 30 days during a holiday period is not enough time to gather meaningful feedback or information from the many residents impacted along the corridor.
- Shorten the number of questions or thoughtfully craft questions so that the survey is not so lengthy.