Written by Linda Stewart
Most residents who live in the area of the rail yard in the Camden Community are happy to see the rail work done. For weeks the rail crossings on Humboldt Avenue and Fremont Avenue were closed to street and sidewalk traffic.
The alternatives to the closures were Lyndale Avenue or Osseo Road. Neither of these options were without challenges:
- With the construction on the Dowling Avenue North bridge and northbound ramp from I-94, the detour was the 49th/53rd Avenue exit, then Lyndale southbound. As a result, Lyndale traffic increased between 49th Avenue North and 40nd Avenue North, especially during the primary commuting to/from work hours.
- Osseo Road (with the bridge over the western end of the rail yard) is at “end of life” and has some rough pavement to cross. Osseo Road is closed now between 49th Avenue North and Penn Avenue for extensive work that will keep this route closed until 2024.
While it should be expected that there will always be road closures during the good construction months of Minnesota, this is a good time to ask about a walking/biking bridge that would cross the railroad tracks. Within these few blocks between Humboldt and Fremont, there are senior living facilities, a grocery store, library, park with swimming pool, and schools. There is a hazard for those needing wheels to navigate the gaps around the rails, whether it’s a bicycle, scooter, wheelchair or stroller.
The Osseo Road bridge was the only crossing for the railroad tracks for those living on the north side of the tracks. We all want a safe environment that encourages non-vehicle traffic. A crossing bridge would be an enhancement to our neighborhood and the value of all neighborhood properties.
On June 20, Osseo Road (County Road 152) closed between Victory Memorial Parkway and 49th Avenue North. This closure will remain in place until this Fall. Total Osseo Road construction should be completed in 2024.
People driving are advised to use 44th and 49th Avenues north for east-west travel and Humboldt Avenue North (County Road 57) for north-south travel. Humboldt Avenue is the only way to cross over the railroad tracks with Osseo Road closed.
The updated design will include several complete and Green Streets elements to improve the corridor for people walking, biking, using transit and driving.
These elements include:
- Sidewalks on both sides of the roadway.
- A trail along southbound Osseo Road.
- Pedestrian level lighting.
- Green boulevards.
- Trees, which will be planted by Hennepin County forestry after the project is complete.
- Trail and sidewalk extensions to 47th and Vincent avenues.
- Raised medians with pedestrian refuge between Victory Memorial Parkway and Penn Avenue intersection and at the 47th avenue intersection to help define the left turn lane at Victory Memorial Parkway and for additional pedestrian safety.
- Rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) at 47th Avenue to complement the proposed C-line bus rapid transit station and Queen Avenue to complement Minneapolis’s recently completed Queen Avenue bike boulevard project.
- METRO D Line bus stops at 47th Avenue.