The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) intends to remove at-grade boulevard options from consideration for Rethinking I-94.
Take action to keep the Twin Cities Boulevard vision alive.
MnDOT is studying 10 options for the Rethinking I-94 project, which will determine the future of I-94 between downtown Minneapolis and downtown Saint Paul. Thanks to community support for the Twin Cities Boulevard campaign, the options being considered include two that would convert the highway trench back into an at-grade community boulevard.
The boulevard options (called at-grade A & B) would feature a narrower roadway with a new bus line in dedicated lanes, new sidewalks, a bike path, and greenspace. The at-grade options would also free up highway land to be returned to surrounding communities, from Rondo to Cedar-Riverside, for new affordable housing, small businesses, community centers, parks and other uses to be determined by residents.
However, MnDOT is planning to remove the boulevard options from further consideration in the planning process. MnDOT is justifying this decision with bad faith arguments that prioritize car traffic over the health and wellbeing of impacted communities.
Communities divided by I-94 deserve the opportunity to create a new future for the corridor. This must include options that don’t rebuild the highway trench. If MnDOT proceeds with this decision, it will take that option away from Saint Paul and Minneapolis communities.