Imagine Frogtown & Rondo is “Joy Activism” for Twin Cities Boulevard
The Imagine event series will end in Saint Paul on September 20, with Imagine Frogtown & Rondo in Central Village Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Organized by Our Streets and billed as “more than just a block party,” the event aims to gain community input on neighborhood transportation issues, specifically the Rethinking I-94 project.
Imagine Frogtown & Rondo is an opportunity for those most impacted by the future of the interstate to learn about the options and celebrate the history of their neighborhood. The event promises live music, family-friendly activities, a small business market, and food trucks. Neighbors are invited to participate as a vendor or volunteer.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is evaluating options for the future of a 7.5-mile stretch of I-94 adjacent to Frogtown and Rondo. The project’s outcome will greatly impact those who live and work in this area. The Minnesota Communities Over Highways Coalition is advocating for Twin Cities Boulevard, a highway-to-boulevard conversion, an increasingly popular trend in transportation planning that addresses environmental and racial injustice. Our Streets has been canvassing the corridor since 2022, and has found that communities neighboring the corridor support exploring this option.
MnDOT recommended removing the at-grade options that are compatible with the Twin Cities Boulevard vision, despite community interest, support from decision-makers, and supportive resolutions from both Minneapolis and Saint Paul. They plan to finalize this decision in the fall.
“There are really two options for the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Rethinking I-94 project. We can study a future-focused option that reconnects communities with a multi-modal boulevard. A boulevard that meets the diverse ways people move today, restoring and revitalizing communities, and building economic opportunity for those harmed by the highway and for our cities at large,” says José Antonio Zayas Cabán, executive director of Our Streets. “Or we can fail at truly ‘Rethinking I-94.’”
The MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger, Governor Walz, and state legislators have final say on whether the boulevard options move forward in the process. Supporters are gathering signatures for a community letter asking them to “give these options a thorough review that includes environmental, equity, and public health goals.”
Imagine Series
Join us as we create pathways for community-preferred street design alternatives while celebrating the uniqueness of the neighborhoods in which they’re located. Together, we can share input on public projects and street reconstruction, making the streets of the Twin Cities safer and more equitable.