Pedestrian/bicycle crossing safety improvements begin Tuesday, August 8 on Hwy 65 (Central Avenue) in Columbia Heights
ROSEVILLE, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation will install new temporary pedestrian/bicycle safety features at six intersections on Highway 65 (Central Avenue) between Gould Avenue and 50th Avenue in Columbia Heights next week. MnDOT will add painted curb and median extensions along with flexible posts (delineators) at six intersections along the highway. (A list of locations is below).
Installation work is scheduled to begin Tuesday, Aug. 8 and expected to wrap up Friday, Aug. 11. Crews will work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
The project will begin at Gould Avenue and move north to 50th Avenue as work is completed at each intersection. There will be minimal impact to pedestrians and bicyclists, however traffic will be restricted to a single lane in each direction during work on each intersection.
Bump-outs or curb extensions shorten crossing distances and can improve visibility between drivers and pedestrians/bicyclists. They also calm traffic by making the crosswalk more noticeable to drivers. Narrowing the roadway can help slow traffic speeds.
Extending the median in the middle of the roadway provides a safe area for pedestrians and bicyclists to stop while crossing the highway.
Short-term, temporary demonstration projects provide a low-cost way to change the layout of streets and crosswalks to possibly improve the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists. These projects are done in areas where improved crosswalk safety is a high-priority. Public feedback is needed to help MnDOT evaluate the results of the changes and determine if more long-term, permanent changes are needed.
The public is invited to provide feedback on these traffic changes by filling out the online comment form.
For updated road condition information, call 511 or visit www.511mn.org.
Gould Avenue
- Curb extension and removal of parking spaces along the west side of southbound Hwy 65.
- Median extension on Hwy 65 south of Gould Ave.
- A median extension will prohibit southbound (left) turns from westbound Gould Ave. to southbound Hwy 65. Traffic will be routed east on Gould Ave. and turn right on Reservoir Blvd. to access southbound Hwy 65.
40th Avenue
- Curb extensions on northwest and southeast corners at Hwy 65
- Median extension on Hwy 65 south of 40th Ave.
42nd Avenue
- Curb extensions on northeast and southwest corners at Hwy 65
- Median extension on Hwy 65 north and south of 42nd Ave.
44th Avenue
- Curb extensions on northeast and southwest corners at Hwy 65
- Median extension on Hwy 65 north of 44th Ave.
45th Avenue
- Median extensions on Hwy 65 north and south of 45th Ave.
50th Avenue
- Curb extension on northeast, southeast and southwest corners at Hwy 65
- Median extension on Hwy 65 south of 50th Ave.
###