Author: Alex Burns

Despite a history of community pushback, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) released proposed project options for the Highway 252/I-94 project, all of which either maintain the current highway and its ongoing harms, or expand the highway, increasing concerns of safety, traffic, air pollution, environmental effects, and equity.

Days before breaking ground, Mayor Jacob Frey and Public Works Director Margaret Anderson-Kelliher dropped a watered-down plan for the Bryant Ave S. reconstruction, undercutting years of community engagement and a previously approved plan that aligns with Minneapolis transportation goals and bicycle and pedestrian safety.

A recently published University of Minnesota Duluth study provides a glimpse of the numerous benefits of urban highway removal. The report estimated that rightsizing just one mile of I-35 in Duluth would cost $50 million but could lead to up to $4.5 billion in economic benefits.

Minnesota State Representative Frank Hornstein and State Senator Scott Dibble may claim to be champions for progressive transportation legislation, but when it comes to the future of I-94, they are blocking progress on a generational opportunity to repair the harms of past racist transportation planning decisions.

MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger and staff are openly opposing a highway-to-boulevard feasibility study (SF 2180 and HF 2270) through an inaccurate and inflated fiscal note.

Thanks to your advocacy, Representative Samantha Sencer-Mura (63A) and Senator Omar Fateh (62) have introduced bills in the House and Senate to commission a comprehensive feasibility study of Twin Cities Boulevard, an I-94 highway-to-boulevard conversion between downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

The 2023 state legislative session is underway in Saint Paul and is scheduled to conclude in May. This session is a critical opportunity to pass legislation that supports a people-first transportation system that prioritizes climate, racial, and economic justice.